3.^?./^, 


^  PRINCETON,  N.  J.  ^ 


Presented    by  oV^  e^    CAv\-V\n(^V^, 

,3^2.557 


Division  :^ 
Section 


THE  GOOD  NEWS. 


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THE  GOOD  NEWS      \^J 
OF  A  SPIRITUAL  REALM 


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,r""^*i  <ir 


BY 

DWIGHT  GODDARD 


1915 

ANN    ARBOR,    MICHIGAN 


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Copyrighted  1915. 
By  DwiGHT  GoDDARD,  Ann  Arbor,  Michigan. 


THE  ANN   ARBOR    PRESS 


INTRODUCTION. 

This  book  is  an  interweaving  of  the  Four 
Gospels  into  one  connected  account  of  the  Life 
and  Teachings  of  Jesus  of  Nazareth,  in  which 
the  attempt  is  made  by  free  translation  and 
paraphrase  to  bring  out  clearly  the  unity  and 
the  reasonableness  of  his  system  of  thought  from 
a  modern  point  of  view. 

In  Matthew  4 :  23  the  message  of  Jesus  is 
spoken  of  as  the  Good  News  of  a  Spiritual 
Realm.  The  Jews  of  his  day  were  looking  for- 
ward to  the  restoration  of  their  nation  as  a 
Messianic  Kingdom  and  had  almost  no  concep- 
tion of  a  Spiritual  Realm ;  to  them  the  message 
of  Jesus  was  a  disappointment.  We  must  admit 
also  that,  with  splendid  exceptions,  the  full 
spiritual  significance  of  his  teaching,  even  down 
to  our  own  day,  has  not  been  understood  nor 
appreciated. 

This  is  particularly  true  in  regard  to  his 
teaching  concerning  the  Kingdom  of  God,  or  the 
Kingdom  of  heaven.  It  has  been  variously  mis- 
interpreted: as  the  Church;  as  an  ideal  state  of 
human  society  where  the  will  of   God  will  be 

—  3  — 


more  perfectly  done;  as  another  realm,  similar 
the  natural  realm,  where  the  life  after  death  will 
be  passed.  There  is  no  mistaking  the  fact  that 
the  study  of  natural  science  has  placed  those 
who  want  to  believe  in  a  spiritual  interpretation 
of  it  on  the  defensive;  and  forced  many,  who 
ought  to  have  had  more  faith  in  a  spiritual 
interpretation,  back  into  a  second  line  of  defense 
where  they  are  defending,  not  the  independent 
reality  of  a  Spiritual  Realm,  but  an  intellectual 
and  spiritual  ideahzing  of  it,  which  makes  of  the 
Kingdom  of  God  an  ideal  state  of  human  society, 
and  limits  the  purpose  of  the  Christian  Hfe,  very 
largely,  to  living  a  good  life  and  "to  the  getting 
of  God's  will  done  among  men." 

However  much  the  teachings  of  Jesus  may 
have  been  misunderstood  in  the  past,  or  are 
being  misunderstood  to-day,  there  is  no  mistak- 
ing the  fact,  if  this  effort  to  present  his  teachings 
is  sound,  that  four  assertions  stand  out  in  clear 
relief. 

First.  He  asserts  the  existence  of  two  levels 
of  reality:  a  higher  or  Spiritual  Realm,  and  a 
lower  or  natural  realm. 

Second.  He  asserts  that  God  is  Sovereign  of 
the  Spiritual  Realm  as  well  as  the  Creator  and 
Ruler  of  the  natural  realm;  that  God  is  Love 

—  4  — 


Absolute  and  is  manifested  to  human  minds  in 
three  categories :  Moral  Purpose,  Idea,  and 
Vitality;  that  God  can  be  best  understood  as 
Sovereign  Love,  as  the  Love  Thought,  and  as 
Love  Vitality. 

Third.  He  asserts  that  the  supreme  and  char- 
acteristic law  of  the  Spiritual  Realm  is  the  Law 
of  Love;  that  the  Spiritual  Law  of  Love  is 
operative  also  in  the  natural  realm  and,  when 
appealed  to,  is  paramount. 

Fourth.  He  asserts  the  existence  of  a  Way 
by  which  human  personality  with  the  aid  of 
spiritual  forces,  can  dominate  and  transcend 
natural  law  and  advance  into  the  Spiritual  Realm. 
The  Way  to  do  this,  he  taught,  was  to  conform 
one's  life  to  the  Spiritual  Law  of  Love,  that  is, 
to  believe  in  the  Love  Idea,  to  trust  in  the 
Divine  Love  Vitality,  and  to  obey  Sovereign 
Love. 

This  system  of  thought  is  certainly  philosophic 
in  its  unity  and  universality;  and  it  is  scientific 
in  its  openness  to  test  and  proof.  Christendom 
has  ever  been  divided  on  questions  of  definition 
and  dogma.  Why  should  this  be  so?  Jesus' 
system  of  thought  does  not  so  much  call  for 
defense  by  logic  and  argument,  as  it  does  for 
demonstration  and  test.    As  he  said,  if  we  have 

—  5  — 


the  courage  to  put  his  Way  to  the  test,  we  shall 
know  whether  his  assertions  are  true  or  not. 
If  there  is  a  Spiritual  Realm  and  if  there  is  a 
Way  for  us  to  advance  into  it,  then  the  message 
of  Jesus  is  the  best  of  Good  News. 

But  as  we  think  about  it  the  thought  comes 
home  to  us  that  Jesus'  Way  is  the  only  reason- 
able and  hopeful  way  of  escape  from  the  grim 
determinism  of  nature,  **'Lord,  to  whom  else  can 
we  go?  Thou  alone  hast  the  words  of  eternal 
Life."  Other  men  have  offered  good  advice  as 
to  how  it  is  best  to  live  this  natural  life;  Jesus 
is  the  only  One  who  has  told  us  how  we  may 
transcend  it. 

The  characteristic  mark  of  Jesus'  system  of 
thought,  after  all,  is  its  winning  appeal,  that 
must  either  be  rejected,  or  be  accepted  gratefully 
and  with  trustful  obedience. 

To  freshen  this  appeal  by  clothing  it  in  new 
phraseology,  and  by  so  doing  to  make  it  more 
insistent  and  forceful,  is  the  purpose  of  this 
work. 

DWIGHT   GODDARD.      - 

February  i,  1915. 
Ann  Arbor,  Michigan. 
—  6  — 


TABLE  OF  CONTENTS. 

PAGS 

Introduction    3 

Table  of  Contents 7 

Dedication 9 

Prologue   11 

Chapter   One.      Birth    and    Childhood   of 

Jesus    13 

Chapter  Two.    Opening  Events 32 

Chapter    Three.      EarHest    Teachings    in 

Jerusalem    49 

Chapter  Four.  Early  Teachings  in  Galilee  60 
Chapter  Five.     Choosing  the  Twelve  and 

Stay  in   Galilee 81 

Chapter  Six.  Premonitions  of  the  Crisis .  .  147 
Chapter  Seven.     Farewell  to  Galilee  and 

Public  Proclamation  of  Messiahship.  .  .  178 
Chapter  Eight.    Triumphal  Entrance  Into 

Jerusalem  and  the  Last  Supper 254 

Chapter  Nine.     Trial  and  Execution 317 

Chapter  Ten.     Ascension  and  Beginnings 

of  a  Co-operative  Brotherhood 345 

Reference  Index 375 


DEDICATION. 

The  Problem  of  Human  Liee 

Calls  for  an  Explanation  of  the  Conflict  That  Is 
Going  on  Within  the  Human  Heart  Between  the 
Forces  That  Are  Working  for  the  Preservation 
and  Assertion  of  the  Natural  Life  and  the  Forces 
Working   for   the   Creation   of   a   Higher   Life. 

Jesus  of  Nazareth  Proclaimed 
THE  Good  News  of  a  Spiritual  Realm 

He  Asserted  the  Independent  Reality  of  the  Spir- 
itual Realm;  He  Asserted  the  Supremacy  of  the 
Spiritual  Law  of  Love;  He  Asserted  the  Ex- 
istence of  a  Way  to  Transcend  the  Natur- 
al    and    Advance     into     the     Spiritual    Realm. 

This  Book  Is  Dedicated 

To  the  Solution  of  the  Problem  of 
Human  Life  in  Accordance  with  the 
Good     News     Proclaimed     by     Jesus. 

—  9  — 


THE  GOOD  NEWS 
OF  A  SPIRITUAL  REALM 


PROLOGUE. 

^|THE  Love  Thought  was  the  beginning.  In  the 
very  beginning  it  was  with  Sovereign  Love 
and  it  was  Sovereign  Love.  All  things  were 
made  by  the  Love  Thought  and  without  it  was 
not  anything  made  that  ever  was  made. 

In  it  was  Life  and  the  Life  was  the  Light  of 
men.  The  Light  shone  in  darkness  and  the 
darkness  has  never  been  able  to  overcome  it,  or 
even  to  comprehend  it.  The  Love  Thought  was 
the  true  Light  that  should  illumine  every  soul 
by  its  coming  into  the  world.  The  Love  Thought 
was  in  the  world  and  all  that  exists  was  made  by 
it  and  yet  the  world  did  not  recognize  it. 

In  the  fullness  of  time  this  Love  Thought  was 

John  1 :  1-18. 

—  11  — 


expressed  in  a  human  Life  that  lived  among  us, 
and  we  beheld  his  glory, — the  glory  that  belonged 
to  him  as  the  only  begotten  of  the  Father,  full 
of  grace  and  truth;  and  of  his  fullness  we  are 
ever  receiving  grace  upon  grace. 

He  came  to  a  place  that  was  his  own,  but  his 
own  people  gave  him  no  welcome,  but  to  as  many 
as  did  receive  him,  who  really  trusted  in  his 
name  of  Love,  to  them  was  given  power  to  enter 
the  Spiritual  Realm,  because  they  had  become 
children  of  Love.  They  were  reborn,  not  by 
natural  vitality,  nor  by  an  impulse  of  their  own 
volition,  nor  by  the  will  of  a  human  father,  but  by 
the  desire  of  Sovereign  Love. 

The  Law  was  given  by  Moses,  but  the  redeem- 
ing power  of  Love  and  an  entrance  into  the 
Spiritual  Realm  came  through  Jesus  the  long 
promised  Messiah.  No  human  eye  has  ever  seen 
Sovereign  Love,  but  the  nature  of  the  Father 
and  his  Way  of  Life  have  been  revealed  by  the 
Son,  who  was  his  own  Love  Thought  from  the 

beginning. 

—  12  — 


CHAPTER  ONE. 

Birth  and  Childhood. 

^jN  the  days  of  Herod,  King  of  Judea,  there 
^-^  was  a  priest  named  Zechariah,  who  belonged 
to  the  Abijah  division  of  the  priesthood.  His 
wife,  EHzabeth,  was  also  a  descendant  from 
Aaron.  They  were  both  upright  in  character  and 
had  always  lived  blamelessly  in  all  the  precepts 
and  ordinances  of  the  Lord.  They  were  now 
well  advanced  in  years  but,  to  their  great  sorrow, 
had  had  no  children. 

In  the  temple  service,  at  the  hour  for  burning 
incense,  while  all  the  multitude  of  the  people 
remained  outside  in  prayer,  it  was  the  custom 
for  one  priest,  who  was  chosen  by  lot,  to  enter  the 
Holy  of  Holies  and  offer  the  incense.  On  one 
occasion    the    lot    fell    to    Zechariah.      He    had 

Luke  1 :  5-80. 

—  13  — 


entered  and  was  burning  the  incense  when  an 
angel  of  the  Lord  appeared  to  be  standing  on  the 
right  side  of  the  altar,  Zechariah  was  troubled 
and  afraid  when  he  saw  him,  but  the  angel 
reassured  him  and  said,  "Zechariah,  your  earnest 
prayers  have  been  heard.  Your  wife  Elizabeth 
will  bear  a  son  and  you  are  to  call  his  name  John. 
You  will  have  joy  and  gladness  and  many  will 
rejoice  at  his  birth.  He  will  be  great  in  the  sight 
of  the  Lord;  he  will  abstain  from  all  fermented 
drink  and,  from  his  birth,  will  be  filled  with 
Divine  Vitality. 

"He  will  turn  many  of  the  children  of  Israel  to 
Sovereign  Love,  their  Lord.  He  will  be  the  fore- 
runner of  the  Messiah  and  have  the  spirit  and 
power  of  Elijah  to  turn  the  hearts  of  the  fathers 
to  the  children,  and  to  turn  the  disobedient  to  the 
wisdom  of  the  good,  and  thus  to  make  ready  a 
people  prepared  to  welcome  the  Lord." 

Zechariah  said  to  the  angel,  "I  am  an  old  man 

and  my  wife  is  aged  also;  how  shall  I  be  sure 

of  this?" 

—  14  — 


The  angel  replied,  "I  stand  in  the  presence  of 
Sovereign  Love  and  am  sent  to  tell  you  the  Good 
News.  It  will  come  to  pass  in  due  time,  but 
because  you  are  slow  to  believe  you  will  be 
unable  to  speak  until  that  time." 

Meanwhile  the  people  were  waiting  for 
Zechariah  to  reappear  and  were  surprised  that 
he  staid  so  long.  When  he  finally  came  out  and 
they  .saw  that  he  was  unable  to  speak,  but  made 
signs  to  them,  they  perceived  that,  while  he  had 
been  within,  he  had  seen  a  vision. 

When  his  days  of  temple  service  were  ended, 
he  went  to  his  home,  and,  in  the  course  of  time, 
his  wife  EHzabeth  conceived.  For  five  months 
she  kept  in  retirement,  saying,  ''The  Lord  has 
looked  kindly  upon  me  and  taken  away  my 
reproach." 


15  — 


-JjN  the  sixth  month  an  angel  from  Sovereign 
^^  Love  appeared  to  a  girl  in  Nazareth  of 
Galilee.  Her  name  was  Mary  and  she  was  be- 
trothed to  a  man  named  Joseph.  They  were  both 
lineal  descendants  from  Abraham  and  the  royal 
house  of  David. 

The  Angel  said  to  Mary,  ''Congratulations, 
most  favored  one,  the  Lord  is  with  you."  She 
was  greatly  agitated  at  such  a  strange  greeting 
and  wondered  what  it  meant. 

The  angel  continued,  *'Do  not  be  afraid,  Mary, 
you  have  found  favor  with  Sovereign  Love.  You 
are  to  bear  a  son  and  call  his  name  Jesus.  He 
will  be  of  great  renown;  men  will  call  him,  'Son 
of  the  Most  High' ;  and  Sovereign  Love,  the 
Lord,  will  give  him  the  throne  of  his  father 
David.  He  will  reign  over  the  house  of  Jacob 
for  ever  and  of  his  Kingdom  there  will  be  no 
limit." 

Mary  said,  "How  can  it  be  possible,  seeing  that 

I   am  not  yet  married?"    The  angel  answered, 

"Divine  Vitality  will  come  to  you,  and  the  power 

—  16  — 


of  the  Most  High  will  enfold  you.  For  this 
reason  he  that  shall  be  born  will  be  revered  and 
will  be  called  the  Son  of  Sovereign  Love;  and 
no  purpose  of  his  will  ever  fail." 

Mary  replied,  "I  give  myself  wholly  to  the 
Lord.    Let  it  be  to  me  as  you  have  said." 

The  angel  said,  "Listen,  Mary,  your  relative 
Elizabeth  has  conceived  a  son  in  her  old  age,  and 
she,  who  was  called  barren,  is  now  in  her  sixth 
month."  Then  the  angel  disappeared  from  her 
presence. 

Mary  went  at  once  to  the  home  of  Zechariah  in 
the  hill  country  of  Judea  to  see  Elizabeth.  As 
soon  as  Elizabeth  heard  her  greeting,  the  babe 
moved  within  her.  She  was  filled  with  Divine 
Vitality  and  cried  out : 

"Oh,  most  blessed  among  women,   and  your 

child  shall  be  blessed !    Why  is  this  honor,  that 

the  mother  of  my  Lord  should  come  to  me?    For 

when  the  sound  of  your  greeting  came  to  my 

ears,  even  the  babe  wathin  me  moved  from  very 

joy.     Oh,  blessed  one !    Because  you  have  faith, 

—  17  — 


there  will  be  fulfillment  of  all  the  promises  made 
to  you  from  the  Lord." 
Mary  replied: 

♦  ^  rflttty  soul  doth  magnify  the  Lord. 

And  my  spirit  doth  rejoice  in  God  my 
Saviour. 
For  he  hath  looked  on  the  low  estate  of  his 

handmaid; 
And  from  henceforth  all  generations  shall  call 

me  blessed. 
For  he  that  is  mighty  has  done  to  me  great  things 
And  reverend  is  his  name. 
His  mercy  is  unto  them  that  fear  him 
From  generation  to  generation. 
He  hath  shozved  strength  zvith  his  arm; 
He  hath  scattered  the  proud  in  the  thoughts  of 

their  hearts; 

He  hath  put  doivn  princes  from  their  thrones; 

He  hath  exalted  them  of  low  degree. 

The  hungry  he  hath  filled  with  good  things, 

And  the  rich  he  hath  sent  empty  azvay. 

—  18  — 


He  hath  given  help  to  his  servant  Israel 
In  remembrance  of  his  mercy, 
As  he  promised  unto  our  fathers, 
To  Abraham  and  to  Jits  seed  for  ever!' 

Mary  remained  with  Elizabeth  about  three 
months  and  then  returned  to  her  own  home.  In 
due  time  EHzabeth  brought  forth  a  son  and  her 
kinsfolk  and  neighbors  rejoiced  with  her  when 
they  saw  how  the  Lord  had  magnified  his  mercy 
toward  her. 


/j^  N  the  eighth  day,  according  to  custom,  they 

came  to  circumcise  the  child  and  would 

have  christened  him  Zechariah,  after  his  father's 

name,  but  his  mother  objected  and  said  that  he 

was  to  be  called  John.     They  reminded  her  that 

none  of  the  family  bore  that  name  and,  using 

signs,  asked  the  father  what  the  child  was  to  be 

called.    He  asked  for  a  writing  tablet  and  wrote, 

*His  name  is  John.' 

—  19  — 


Then  he  was  conscious  that  he  could  speak  and 
immediately,  being  filled  with  Divine  Vitality,  he 
burst  forth  in  a  rapture  of  praise: 


1 


LBSSBD  be  the  Lord  God  of  Israel; 
For  he  hath  not  forgotten  his  people, 


But  hath  prepared  redemption 

And  hath  raised  up  a  mighty  salvation  for  them 

In  the  house  of  his  servant  David, 

As  he  promised  by  the  prophets  of  old. 

He  hath  saved  us  from  our  enemies 

And  from  the  hand  of  all  that  hate  us. 

He  hath  shoum  kindness  to  our  fathers 

And  hath  remembered  his  sacred  covenant, 

Which  he  made  with  our  father  Abraham, 

That  he  would  keep  us  safe 

From  the  hand  of  our  enemies, 

So  that  zve  might  serve  him  zvithout  fear. 

In  piety  and  uprightness  all  our  days. 

''And  thou,  Oh  child,  shalt  be  called 

Prophet  of  the  Most  High! 

—  20  — 


Thou  shalt  go  before  to  prepare  the  way  of  the 

Lord, 
Who  will  give  knowledge  of  salvation  to  his  peo- 
ple, 
Through  the  forgiveness  of  their  sins, 
By  the  tender  mercy  of  our  God. 
It  zvill  be  to  us  as  the  day  break  from  on  high, 
And  to  those  zvho  dwell  in  darkness  and  the  shad- 

ozv  of  death, 
To  guide  our  feet  into  the  path  of  peace." 

The  neighbors  were  filled  with  awe,  for  the 
hand  of  the  Lord  was  evidently  with  him.  The 
events  were  remembered  and  talked  about 
throughout  all  the  hill  country  and  many  wonder- 
ed what  the  child  would  become.  Meanwhile  the 
child  grew  strong  in  body  and  character,  but  re- 
mained in  seclusion  until  the  time  for  him  to  ap- 
pear publicly  in  Israel. 


—  21  — 


^jfj  EFORE  Joseph  married  Mary,  his  betrothed, 
it  was  brought  to  his  attention  that  she  had 
conceived.  Being  a  good  man,  and  not  willing  to 
bring  her  into  public  disgrace,  he  thought  to  sep- 
arate from  her  quietly.  While  he  was  still  think- 
ing about  it,  an  angel  of  the  Lord  appeared  to 
him  in  a  dream  and  said :  "Joseph,  son  of  David, 
do  not  hesitate  to  marry  Mary,  your  betrothed, 
for  that  which  is  conceived  in  her  is  of  the  Di- 
vine VitaHty.  She  will  bring  forth  a  son  and  he 
is  to  be  called,  Jesus,  for  it  is  he  that  shall  save 
his  people  from  their  sins." 

All  this  took  place  in  fulfillment  of  w^hat  the 
Lord  had  foretold  by  the  prophet.  ''Behold  a 
young  woman  will  be  with  child  and  will  bring 
forth  a  son  and  they  will  call  his  name,  'God-with- 
us:  " 

Joseph  did  as  the  angel  of  the  Lord  had  com- 
manded and  married  his  betrothed,  but  did  not 
live  with  her  as  a  husband  until  the  birth  of  her 
son. 


Matthew  i :  18-25. 

—  22  — 


A  T  that  time  Caesar  Agustus  issued  a  procla- 
^  ^  mation  calling  for  a  registration  of  the 
whole  empire.  This  was  the  first  enrollment  and 
was  made  while  Quirinius  was  governor  of  Syr- 
ia. 

In  response  to  this  edict  every  one  returned  to 
his  native  town  to  be  registered.  Joseph  went 
from  Nazareth  in  Galilee  to  Bethlehem  in  Judea, 
because  he  was  a  descendant  from  David;  and 
Mary,  his  wife,  went  with  him. 

When  they  reached  Bethlehem,  there  was  no 
room  for  them  at  the  inn  and  they  sought  shel- 
ter in  a  stable.  While  they  were  there  the  time 
for  Mary's  delivery  came  and  she  gave  birth  to 
her  first  born  son.  She  wrapped  him  in  his  baby 
clothes  and  laid  him  to  sleep  in  a  manger. 

In  the  same  country  there  were  shepherds  liv- 
ing in  the  open  fields  and  keeping  watch  over 
their  flocks  by  night.  An  angel  of  the  Lord  ap- 
peared to  them  and  the  glory  of  the  Lord  shone 
round  about  them  and  they  were  much  afraid. 

Luke  2:  1-39. 

—  23  — 


But  the  angel  said  to  them :  ''Do  not  be  afraid. 
I  am  bringing  you  good  tidings  of  great  joy  that 
shall  be  to  all  people,  for  there  is  born  to  you 
this  day  in  the  city  of  David,  a  Saviour,  who  is 
the  Messiah,  the  Lord.  This  shall  be  your  proof : 
you  will  find  the  babe  wrapped  in  his  baby  clothes 
and  lying  in  a  manger." 

Suddenly  there  was  with  the  angel  a  multitude 
of  the  spiritual  hosts  praising  Sovereign  Love 
and  saying: 

"Glory  to  Love  in  the  Highest !  And  on  earth 
peace  and  good  will  among  men." 

When  the  angelic  host  had  faded  away  from 

their  sight,  the  shepherds  said  to  one  another, 

"Let  us  go  at  once  to  Bethlehem  and  see  that 

which  the  Lord  has  revealed  to  us."     So  they 

went  in  haste  and  found  both  Mary  and  Joseph 

and  the  Httle  child  lying  in  the  manger.     The 

shepherds  told  of  the  vision  that  they  had  seen, 

and  all  who  heard  it  were  filled  with  wonder. 

Mary,  especially,  Hstened  to  it  and  treasured  it 

—  24  — 


in  her  heart.  Then  the  shepherds  returned  to 
their  flocks  glorifying  and  praising  Sovereign 
Love  for  all  the  things  they  had  heard  and  seen. 


^mH'HEN  eight  days  were  passed  the  child  was 
'*^  circumcised  and  given  the  name  Jesus,  as 
had  been  foretold  by  the  angel.  Then  in  accord- 
ance with  the  requirements  of  the  Mosaic  law, 
which  stipulated  that  every  first  born  male  should 
be  dedicated  to  the  Lord,  and  after  the  days  for 
their  own  purification  had  elapsed,  they  carried 
the  child  up  to  Jerusalem  to  present  him  at  the 
temple  and  to  ofifer  the  customary  sacrifice  of  a 
pair  of  turtle  doves,  or  two  small  pigeons. 

There  was  in  Jerusalem  at  this  time  a  man 
named  Symeon,  who  was  a  good  and  devout  man, 
whose  heart  was  filled  with  Divine  Vitality  and 
who  was  expectantly  watching  for  the  coming  of 
the  Messiah.  It  had  been  revealed  to  him  that 
he  should  not  die  until  he  had  seen  the  Lord's 

Messiah.    Lender  the  influence  of  Divine  Vitality 

—  25  — 


he  had  come  into  the  temple  just  as  the  parents  of 
Jesus  brought  him  in.     He  took  the  child  in  his 
arms  and  blessed  Sovereign  Love  saying: 
"Now,  Lord,  Let  thy  servant  depart,  according 
to  thy  word,  in  peace. 
For  mine  eyes  have  seen  thy  salvation, 
Which  thou  has  prepared  in  the  sight  of  ail  na- 
tions, 
A  light  of  revelation  to  the  gentiles 
And  a  glory  to  thy  people  Israel." 
Symeon  then  blessed  them  and  said  to  Mary: 
"Listen  to  me,  This  child  will  be  the  cause  of 
many  falling  and  many  rising  in  Israel.    He  will 
arouse  great  resentment,  for  he  will  reveal  the 
secret  thoughts  of  many  a  heart.    Yes,  even  your 
own  heart  will  suffer  as  though  a  sword  had 
pierced  it." 

While  the  father  and  mother  were  wondering 
at  these  strange  words,  an  aged  woman  named 
Anna  came  near.  She  was  the  daughter  of  Phan- 
uel  of  the  tribe  of  Asher.  She  was  very  old,  hav- 
ing lived  with  a  husband  for  seven  years  after 

—  26  — 


her  girlhood  and  now  had  been  a  widow  for 
eighty  four  years.  She  was  looked  upon  as  a 
prophetess  and  spent  all  her  time  in  the  temple 
worshipping  day  and  night  with  fasting  and  pray- 
er. When  she  saw  the  child,  Jesus,  she  gave 
thanks  to  Sovereign  Love,  and  then  spoke  about 
him  to  those  who  were  also  looking  for  the  re- 
demption of  Jerusalem. 

When  the  parents  had  fulfilled  all  the  temple 
requirements  they  returned  to  Bethlehem. 


^lUST  at  this  time  some  wise  men  arrived  in 
Jerusalem  from  the  far  East.  They  created 
some  excitement  by  inquiring,  "Where  is  he  that 
is  born  King  of  the  Jews  ?  We  saw  his  star  when 
it  arose  and  we  have  come  to  worship  him." 

When  Herod,  the  king,  heard  it,  he  was  dis- 
turbed, for  it  might  mean  an  insurrection.  The 
king  gathered  together  all  the  chief  priests  and 


Matthew  2:  1-23. 

—  27  — 


scholars,  and  anxiously  inquired  of  them  where 

the  Messiah  was  to  be  born.     They  replied  that 

according  to  the  prophets,  he  was  to  be  born  in 

Bethlehem  of  Judea.       Then  Herod  called  the 

wise  men  to  him  privately,  to  learn  the  exact  time 

that  the  star  appeared.    He  commanded  them  to 

go  to  Bethlehem  and  search  out  the  young  child 

and  when  they  have  found  the  child  to  bring  him 

word.     The  reason  the  king  gave  was,  ''That  I 

may  also  come  and  worship  him." 

Having  heard  the  king  they  went  away  and 

the  star,  which  they  had  seen  from  the  East,  went 

before  them  until  it  stood  over  where  the  young 

child  was.    When  they  saw  the  star  they  rejoiced 

exceedingly.     They  entered  the  house  and  when 

they  saw  the  young  child  and  Mary  his  mother, 

they  prostrated  themselves  and  worshipped  him. 

Then  they  opened  their  treasures  and  offered  him 

gifts  of  gold,   frankincense  and  myrrh.     Being 

warned  in  a  dream  that  they  should  not  return 

to  Herod,  they  left   for  their  own  country  by 

another  road. 

—  28  — 


After  they  had  gone,  an  angel  of  the  Lord 
appeared  to  Joseph  in  a  dream  and  warned  him 
that  Herod  would  seek  the  young  child's  life  and 
that  he  must  take  him  and  the  mother  and  flee 
into  Egypt,  and  remain  there  until  he  was  sent 
word.  That  same  night  Joseph  took  the  child  and 
his  mother  and  started  for  Egypt  and  was  there 
until  the  death  of  Herod. 

When  Herod  learned  that  the  wise  men  had 
trifled  with  him,  he  was  furiously  angry.  He 
reckoned  from  the  time  that  he  had  learned  of 
the  wise  men  that  the  star  had  appeared,  and 
gave  orders  that  all  children  under  two  years  of 
age,  that  could  be  found  in  Bethlehem  and  vicin- 
ity, should  be  killed. 

After  Herod  was  dead,  an  angel  of  the  Lord 
appeared  to  Joseph  in  a  dream,  telling  him  of  the 
death  and  directing  him  to  bring  the  child  and 
his  mother  back.  When  Joseph  heard  that  Arch- 
elaus,  the  son  of  Herod,  was  reigning  over  Judea, 
and  being  warned  in  a  dream,  he  was  afraid  to  re- 
turn there  and,  instead,  went  to  Galilee  and  dwelt 

—  29  — 


in  the  town  of  Nazareth.  And  there  the  child 
grew  strong  and  wise  and  the  blessing  of  Sov- 
ereign Love  was  evidently  upon  him. 


^IT  was  the  custom  of  his  parents  to  go  up  to 
Jerusalem  every  year  to  the  Feast  of  the 
Passover  and  when  Jesus  was  twelve  years  of  age 
they  took  him  with  them.  When  the  festivities 
were  ended  and  they  were  returning,  Jesus  staid 
behind  in  Jerusalem  without  his  parents  being 
aware  of  it.  They  supposed  that  he  was  some- 
where in  the  company  and  they  made  a  day's 
journey  before  they  began  to  search  for  him 
among  their  relatives  and  acquaintances,  but  be- 
ing unable  to  find  him  they  returned  to  Jerusalem. 
On  the  third  day  they  found  him  in  the  temple, 
sitting  in  the  midst  of  the  teachers,  listening  and 
asking  them  questions.  All  who  heard  him  were 
amazed  at  his  understanding  and  his  answers. 

Luke  2 :  40-52. 

—  30  — 


When  the  father  and  mother  saw  him,  they 
were  astonished,  and  his  mother  said  to  him,  *'My 
boy,  why  have  you  done  this?  Your  father  and 
I  have  been  anxiously  searching  for  you."  Jesus 
said  to  her,  "But  why  did  you  search  for  me, 
mother?  Didn't  you  know  that  I  would  be  here 
in  my  Father's  house  ?" 

He  returned  with  them  to  Nazareth  and  was  an 
obedient  child.  They  did  not  always  understand 
the  things  he  said  to  them,  but  his  mother  treas- 
ured them  in  her  heart,  and,  as  he  increased  in 
stature  and  wisdom,  he  also  increased  in  the  fa- 
vor of  his  fellow  men  and  of  Sovereign  Love. 


—  31  — 


CHAPTER  TWO. 

Opening  Events. 

^|t|t  EANWHILE,  John,  the  son  of  Zechariah 
'^  and  EHzabeth,  was  growing  up  in  the  se- 

clusion of  the  wilderness.  He  dressed  in  camel's 
hair  with  a  leathern  girdle  and  lived  on  locust 
pods  and  wild  honey.  In  the  fifteenth  year  of 
Tiberius  Caesar,  when  Pontius  Pilate  was  gov- 
ernor of  Judea,  Herod  of  Galilee  and  his  brother 
PhiHp  of  Ituraea  and  Trachonitis,  and  Annas  and 
Caiaphas  were  high  priests,  the  call  of  Sovereign 
Love  came  to  him. 

He  went  into  the  Jordan  Valley  and  began  to 
preach  and  to  baptize.  The  burden  of  his  mes- 
sage was,  ''Repent  for  the  Kingdom  of  Heaven 
is  at  hand !"  Those  that  heeded  his  words,  he 
baptized  as  a  sign  of  the  remission  of  their  sin. 


Matthew  3:  1-12;  Mark  i :  1-8;  Luke  3:  1-20. 
—  32  — 


All  of  this  had  been  foretold  by  the  prophet 
Isaiah,  who  said : 


^1   HB  voice  of  one  crying  in  the  zmlderness, 


® 


Make  ready  the  way  of  the  Lord, 
Make  his  paths  straight. 
Every  valley  shall  he  filled, 
And  every  mountain  and  hill  brought  low. 
The  crooked  shall  be  made  straight, 
And  the  rough  ways  smooth, 
And  all  nations  shall  see  the  salvation  of  God." 

But  when  he  saw  many  of  the  Pharisees  and 
Saducees  coming  to  his  baptism,  he  said  to  them : 
"Oh,  offspring  of  vipers,  who  has  warned  you  to 
flee  from  the  wrath  to  come?  You  must  first 
bring  forth  the  fruits  of  repentance.  It  will  be 
no  profit  to  you  to  claim  Abraham  as  your  father, 
for  let  me  tell  you,  God  is  able  of  these  very 
stones  to  raise  up  children  to  Abraham.  Already 
the  axe  is  at  the  foot  of  the  tree  and  every  tree 
that  fails  to  yield  good  fruit  will  quickly  be  cut 
down  and  thrown  into  the  fire.'' 

They  asked  him,  ''What  must  we  do?" 
—  33  — 


He  replied,  "He  that  has  two  coats,  let  him 
share  with  him  who  has  none.  He  that  has  food, 
let  him  do  the  same."  There  were  tax  collectors 
that  came  to  be  baptized  and  they  asked  him  what 
they  should  do.  He  said  to  them,  "Collect  no 
more  than  is  legally  due."  Some  soldiers  asked 
the  same  question.  To  them  he  replied,  "Do  not 
take  things  by  violence,  accuse  no  one  unjustly 
and  be  content  with  your  wages." 

The  crowds  increased.  The  people  were  ex- 
pectant, and  reasoned  in  their  hearts  as  to  wheth- 
er possibly  John,  himself,  was  the  promised  Mes- 
siah. 

John  answered  saying  to  them  all,  "I,  indeed, 

baptize  you  with  water  as  a  sign  of  repentance, 

but  after  me,  one  is  coming  who  is  mightier  than 

I,  one  whose  shoes  I  am  not  worthy  to  unloose. 

He  will  baptize  you  with  Divine  Vitality  and  with 

fire.    His  winnowing  fan  will  be  in  his  hand  ready 

to  clean  up  the  threshing  floor.     He  will  gather 

the  wheat  into  his  granary,  but  the  chaff  he  will 

burn  with  unquenchable  fire." 

—  34  — 


JjrHEN  the  Jews  at  Jerusalem  sent  priests  and 
^^  Levites  to  ask  him,  who  he  was,  and  whether 
he  was  the  Messiah  or  not.  John  said,  "No,  I  am 
not  the  Messiah."  Then  they  asked,  "Who  then, 
are  you  EHjah?  or  the  prophet  that  is  to  come?" 
But  John  answered,  "No,  I  am  not." 

Then  they  said,  "Tell  us  who  you  are  and  by 
what  authority  you  baptize,  so  that  we  may  give 
an  answer  to  them  that  sent  us."  John  said  to 
them,  the  same  as  he  had  said  to  the  others,  "I 
am  the  voice  of  one  crying  in  the  wilderness.  I 
baptize  with  water,  but  there  is  another  coming 
after  me,  who  is  greater  than  I." 


yM  HILE  John  was  baptizing  in  Jordan,  Jesus 

came  from  Nazareth  to  be  baptized,  but 

John  protested  and  said,  "It  is  I  who  have  need 

to  be  baptized  of  thee,  and  thou  comest  to  me !" 


John  1 :  19-28. 

Matthew  3:  13-17;  Mark  i:  9-11;  Luke  3:  21-23. 
—  35  — 


But  Jesus  said,  "You  must  do  it  for  me,  for  it  is 
only  thus  that  I  fulfill  my  duty." 

Then  John  baptized  him  and,  as  Jesus  came  up 
out  of  the  water,  lo,  the  heavens  opened  and  he 
saw  the  Vitality  of  Sovereign  Love,  in  the  form 
of  a  dove,  descending  and  alighting  upon  him  and 
a  voice  from  the  Spiritual  Realm  saying,  "Thou 
are  my  beloved  Son,  in  whom  I  am  well  pleased." 


A  N  the  morrow,  John  seeing  Jesus  coming  to- 
^  ^  ward  him,  said  to  those  standing  about 
him:  "Behold  the  Lamb  of  God  that  is  to  take 
away  the  sin  of  the  world.  This  is  he  of  whom  I 
said,  'After  me  is  coming  one,  who  is  preferred 
before  me,  for  he  is  greater  than  L'  For  this 
purpose  I  came  baptizing  with  water  to  proclaim 
to  Israel  the  coming  Messiah.  At  first  I  did  not 
recognize  him,  but  when  I  beheld  Divine  Vitality 
descending  as  a  dove  out  of  the  Spiritual  Realm 

John  1 :  29-34. 

—  36  —      ' 


and  abiding  on  him,  just  as  it  had  been  foretold  to 
me  by  the  one  who  sent  me  to  baptize  with  water, 
and  who  said,  'The  One  on  whom  thou  shalt  see 
the  Spirit  descending  and  abiding,  he  is  the  one 
who  will  baptize  with  Divine  Vitality.'  This  I 
have  seen  and  now  bear  witness,  that  he  is  the 
Son  of  God. 


jjrHE  same  day,  it  was  then  about  four  in  the 
^^  afternoon  as  John  was  standing  with  two 
of  his  disciples,  they  saw  Jesus  as  he  was  walking 
by,  and  John  said,  ''Look,  there  is  the  Lamb  of 
God."  The  two  disciples  who  heard  John  speak, 
followed  Jesus. 

Jesus  noticed  them  following  and  asked  them, 
"What  is  it  you  want?"  They  replied,  "Where 
are  you  staying.  Teacher?"  He  said,  "Come  and 
see."  And  so  they  went  with  him  and  remained 
the  rest  of  the  day. 

John  1 :  35-51. 

—  37  — 


One  of  the  two  who  heard  John  speak  and  fol- 
lowed Jesus,  was  Andrew.  He  went  at  once  to 
his  own  brother,  Simon,  and  said,  "We  have 
found  the  Messiah,"  and  brought  his  brother  to 
Jesus.  Jesus  looked  at  him  and  said,  "You  are 
Simon,  the  son  of  John,  but  your  name  is  to  be 
Peter,  that  is,  the  Rock." 

The  next  day  Jesus  left  for  his  home  in  Gali- 
lee and  meeting  Philip,  who  was  from  Bethsaida, 
the  same  town  as  Andrew  and  Peter,  invited  him 
to  go  with  them.  Philip,  meeting  his  friend  Na- 
thaniel, said.  "We  have  found  the  one  of  whom 
Moses  wrote  in  the  Book  of  the  Law  and  the 
Prophets,  Jesus  of  Nazareth,  the  son  of  Joseph." 
Nathaniel  replied,  "Nazareth?  Can  any  good 
thing  come  out  of  Nazareth?"  "Come  and  see," 
said  Philip. 

Jesus  saw  him  coming  and  said,  "Here  at  last, 

is  a  true  Israelite,  one  in  whom  is  no  deceitful- 

ness."     Nathaniel  said,  "Why,  where  have  you 

known   me?"     Jesus   said,   "Just  before   Philip 

called  you,  when  you  were  under  the  fig  tree,  I 

—  38  — 


saw  you."  Nathaniel  exclaimed,  "Teacher,  Thou 
art  the  Son  of  God.  Thou  are  the  King  of  Is- 
rael." 

Perhaps  Nathaniel  had  been  praying  under  the 
fig  tree  that  the  Messiah  might  soon  come,  for 
Jesus  said,  "Because  I  said  I  saw  you  under  the 
fig  tree,  do  you  believe?  You  shall  see  greater 
things  than  these,  Nathaniel.  You  will  see  the 
heavens  open,  and  the  angels  of  Sovereign  Love 
encircling  the  Son  of  Man." 


fTTHE  third  day  there  was  a  marriage  in  Cana 
of  Galilee,  to  which  Jesus  and  his  mother 
and  disciples  were  invited.  It  happened  that  the 
wine  that  had  been  provided  was  insufficient  and 
the  mother  of  Jesus  brought  it  to  his  attention. 
"We  are  not  responsible  are  we,  mother?  Be- 
sides, I  am  not  ready  to  act."  His  mother  whis- 
pered to  the  servants,  "Do  whatever  he  tells  you." 
There  were  six  stone  jars  standing  near  by,  as 

John  2:  1-12. 

—  39  — 


was  common  in  Jewish  homes,  and  each  large 
enough  to  hold  twenty  gallons  or  more.  Jesus 
told  the  attendants  to  fill  the  jars  with  water  and 
they  filled  them  to  the  brim.  Then  he  said, 
"When  the  host  calls  for  more  wine,  take  from 
these  jars."  This  they  did,  and  when  the  host 
had  tasted  of  the  water  which  had  now  been 
changed  into  wine,  although  only  the  servants 
knew  about  it,  he  called  for  the  bridegroom  and 
said,  "Usually  at  a  feast  the  best  wine  is  served 
first,  and  the  poorer  after  men  have  drunken  free- 
ly, but  you  have  kept  the  best  until  now." 

This  miracle  in  Cana  was  the  beginning  of  the 
wonderful  things  that  Jesus  did  in  Galilee.  It 
revealed  his  power  and  deepened  the  confidence 
that  his  friends  had  in  him. 


^.HE  changing  of  the  water  into  wine  came  at 


m 


a  time  when  Jesus  was  thinking  seriously  of 
his  mission  in  life.  It  was  done  in  a  spirit  of 
kindness,  but  it  revealed  to  him,  perhaps,  the  kind 


—  40  — 


of  temptation  to  which  he  would  be  particularly 
open — the  temptation  to  use  his  power  unwisely. 

He  was  familiar  with  all  the  ancient  prophe- 
cies of  the  coming  of  a  Messiah  and  the  stories 
of  his  own  birth.  He  felt  an  inner  response  so 
intimate  that  he  was  convinced  that  he,  himself, 
was  the  Son  of  God  and  he  always  called  God, 
**My  Father."  The  voice  at  his  baptism  only  con- 
firmed that  of  which  he  was  already  sure. 

He  understood  instinctively,  as  only  a  Son 
could,  the  mind  and  heart  of  God.  He  knew  that 
God  was  Love  Absolute  and  Sovereign  of  an  In- 
finite Kingdom.  He  knew  that  this  Kingdom  was 
independent  of  and  above  the  natural  order  and 
that  it  constituted  in  itself  the  truest  and  highest 
reality.  He  knew  that  the  Law  of  Love  was 
supreme,  not  only  in  the  Spiritual  Realm,  but  in 
the  world  of  nature  as  well. 

He  recognized  that  all  human  beings  were  sen- 
sitive to  spiritual  influences, — that  they  as  well  as 
he  were  kin  to  the  Spiritual,  but  that  they  were 

forfeiting  this  spiritual  kinship  by  conforming  to 

—  41  — 


the  natural  law  of  self  preservation  and 
disobeying  the  spiritual  Law  of  Love.  He  saw 
that  it  was  the  gracious  purpose  of  Sovereign 
Love,  in  spite  of  the  disloyalty  of  the  children  of 
men,  to  provide  a  way  of  escape  from  the  strife 
of  the  natural  order  and  an  entrance  into  their 
heritage  in  the  Spiritual  Realm. 

He  felt  that  he  was  the  incarnation  of  this 
Loving  Thought  of  the  Father ;  that  he  had  been 
sent  into  the  world  in  a  form  that  would  make  the 
Love  Thought  understandable,  to  tell  them  the 
Good  News.  He  recognized  also  that  there  was 
a  Spiritual  Vitality  that  issued  directly  from  Sov- 
ereign Love,  by  which  this  salvation  was  to  be 
effected. 

Jesus  recognized  that  if  humanity  were  ever  to 
realize  their  spiritual  heritage  they  must  take  ad- 
vantage of  the  only  way  that  Sovereign  Love  had 
provided  for  their  redemption.  They  must  be- 
lieve in  him  as  the  incarnation  of  the  Love 
Thought  of  the  Father;  they  must  trust  them- 
selves to  the  Divine  Love  Vitality ;  and  they  must 

40 

^—  '±ij  — • 


humbly  and  gratefully  obey  the  Spiritual  Law 
of  Love.  They  must  recognize  that  the  only  way 
of  escape  from  the  lower  life  was  to  be  born 
again  into  the  Spiritual  Realm;  and  this  could 
take  place  only  by  the  grace  of  Sovereign  Love 
through  the  power  of  Love  Vitality  acting  in  re- 
sponse to  a  grateful  and  humble  and  obedient 
faith  in  the  Love  Thought.  To  tell  men  this 
Good  News  of  the  Spiritual  Realm,  Jesus  felt  to 
be  his  mission  in  Life. 

He  knew  that  such  a  course  would  be  unpop- 
ular and  probably  would  end  in  disaster,  but  the 
call  was  too  clear  to  be  denied.  Nevertheless 
doubts  and  questions  crowded  his  mind.  How 
would  he  be  supported  and  protected?  How 
could  he  be  sure  that  he  was  doing  the  wisest 
thing?  Was  love  after  all  strong  enough  to 
overcome  the  world  ? 

That  he  was  giving  serious  thought  to  these 
questions  at  this  time  is  certain,  for  on  his  re- 
turn from  the  Jordan,  he  was  driven  by  Divine 


Matthew  4:  i-ii;  Mark  i:  12-13;  Luke  4:  1-14. 
—  43  — 


Vitality  into  the  wilderness,  to  think  out  the 
meaning  of  his  mission  to  the  end,  and  to  be  sure 
of  himself  from  the  beginning.  There  in  the  des- 
ert, with  only  the  wild  animals  for  company,  he 
remained  and  fasted  for  forty  days,  and  for  for- 
ty days  the  moral  struggle  went  on  within  him. 


3jC  E  was  not  so  much  tempted  to  deny  his  mis- 
>  sion,as  he  was  tempted  to  doubt  and  to  ques- 
tion. The  devil  said  to  him,  "If  you  are  the  Son 
of  God,  command  these  stones  to  become  bread ; 
by  so  doing  you  will  be  assured  that  your  bodily 
wants  will  be  supplied."  Jesus'  reply  was,  "My 
bodily  wants  are  not  the  most  important  thing. 
Besides  physical  appetites,  man  has  spiritual  as- 
pirations that  are  satisfied  by  spiritual  food  that 
comes  from  Sovereign  Love.  As  it  is  written, 
'Man  shall  not  live  by  bread  alone,  but  by  every 
zvord  that  proceeds  from  the  mouth  of  God.'  If 
it  ever  comes  to  a  choice  between  the  two,  the 

spiritual  is  the  more  important." 

—  44  — 


Then  the  devil  seemed  to  lead  him  to  Jerusalem, 
to  a  pinnacle  of  the  temple,  and  said:  *'If  you  are 
the  Son  of  God,  prove  it  where  all  can  see.  De- 
scend from  here  to  the  temple  courts,  you  need 
not  be  afraid ;  it  is  written,  'He  zvill  give  his  an- 
gels charge  of  you,  they  will  hold  you  up  in  their 
hands  lest  at  any  time  you  trip  against  a  stone/  " 
Jesus  repHed:  "Yes,  it  is  true.  Sovereign  Love 
has  made  many  promises  of  protection  to  all 
those  who  are  seeking  to  do  his  will,  but  they 
should  be  accepted  humbly  and  gratefully.  One 
ought  not  to  see  how  far  he  can  venture  in  self- 
ishness, or  recklessness,  or  worldly  success,  with- 
out falling;  for  it  is  also  written,  'Thou  shalt  not 
put  the  Lord  thy  God  to  the  test/  " 

The  devil  led  him  to  a  very  high  mountain  and 
showed  him  all  the  kingdoms  of  this  world,  as 
though  they  were  spread  out  before  him.  He 
said  to  him,  "You  think  your  mission  is  to  re- 
deem the  kingdoms  of  men.     Now  all  these  are 

mine  and  I  can  give  them  to  whom  I  please.    You 

—  45  — 


may  have  all  this  authority  and  all  this  wealth  at 
once,  if  you  will  worship  me." 

Jesus  replied:  "Yes,  my  mission  is  to  redeem 
the  nations,  but  it  can  only  be  done  by  revealing 
to  the  children  of  men  the  Way  of  Life,  that 
lies  through  faith  in  the  Law  of  Love.  It  is  not 
by  authority  from  without  that  this  can  be  done, 
but  it  is  by  awakening  faith  within  and  a  grateful 
obedience  to  Sovereign  Love.  It  is  written, 
'Thou  shalt  worship  the  Lord  thy  God  and  him 
only  shalt  thou  serve.'  " 

As  he  faced  the  different  temptations  they  lost 
their  force,  and  help  came  to  him  from  the  Spir- 
itual Realm  so  that  his  own  faith  in  the  power  of 
Love  to  meet  every  emergency  was  strengthened 
by  Love  Vitality ;  and  he  returned  to  Galilee  con- 
fident and  serene  for  his  mission  in  life.  He  be- 
gan at  once  to  teach  in  their  synagogues  and  his 
fame  went  out  through  all  the  region. 


—  46  — 


TjtT^  was  his  custom  on  the  sabbath  day  to  go  to 
the  synagogue  and,  being  at  his  old  home  in 
Nazareth  on  the  sabbath,  he  entered  the  syna- 
gogue and  stood  up  to  read.  They  handed  him 
the  book  of  the  prophet  Isaiah.  He  opened  the 
roll  and  found  the  place  where  it  is  written : 

''The  Vitality  of  the  Lord  is  upon  me. 

He  has  chosen  me  to  preach  Good  News  to  the 
poor; 

He  has  sent  me  to  proclaim  release  to  the  cap- 
tives. 

And  recovery  of  sight  to  the  blind, 

To  set  free  the  oppressed. 

And  to  proclaim  the  year  of  the  Lord's  favor/' 

Then  he  rolled  up  the  book  and  returned  it  to 
the  attendant.  The  eyes  of  all  in  the  synagogue 
were  fixed  upon  him,  waiting  for  him  to  speak. 

Then  he  said:  "To-day  this  scripture  has  been 
fulfilled  for  you.  Doubtless  you  will  remind  me 
of  the  old  saying,  'Physician  heal  thyself,'  and 
ask  that  what  has  been  done  in  other  places,  be 

Luke  4:  16-30. 

—  47  — 


done  here  in  my  native  town.  But  unfortunately 
a  prophet  is  honored  anywhere  but  in  his  own 
country. 

"There  were  many  widows  in  Israel  when 
EHjah  lived,  besides  the  Sidonian  widow  of  Zar- 
epath,  but  when  there  was  a  drought  in  the  land 
for  three  years  and  a  half,  it  was  only  to  her  that 
Elijah  came.  There  were  many  lepers  in  Israel 
in  Elisha's  day,  but  none  of  them  were  cleansed 
but  Naaman,  the  Syrian." 

At  first  the  listeners  were  pleased  by  the  grace 
of  his  words  and  exclaimed,  "Why,  can  this  be 
Joseph's  son  ?"  But  as  he  proceeded  they  became 
increasingly  angry  and  finally  hustled  him  out  of 
the  synagogue  to  the  edge  of  the  cliff  on  which 
the  town  is  built  and  attempted  to  throw  him 
over,  but  he  passed  through  their  midst  and  went 
away. 


—  48  — 


CHAPTER  THREE. 

Eari^iest  Teaching  in  Jerusai^em. 

JTrHE  Passover  Feast  was  at  hand  and  Jesus 
went  up  to  it  and  taught  in  the  temple. 
Many  saw  the  works  that  he  did  and  professed  to 
believe  in  him,  but  Jesus  did  not  altogether  trust 
them  because  he  could  read  men's  hearts,  and 
was  not  deceived  by  protestations. 

While  Jesus  was  in  Jerusalem  a  man  of  the 
Pharisees  named  Nicodemus,  a  ruler  of  the  Jews, 
came  to  Jesus  by  night  and  said  to  him:  "Sir,  we 
know  that  you  are  a  teacher  that  has  been  taught 
of  God,  for  no  one  could  do  the  works  that  you 
are  doing  unless  God  was  with  him.  May  I  ask 
you  a  question?  You  speak  of  the  Kingdom  of 
God ;  what  do  you  mean  by  it  ?" 

Jesus  replied:    "The  Kingdom  of  God,  or  the 


John  2  :  13 ;  2 :  23-3 :  21 ;  3  :  31-36. 
—  49  — 


Spiritual  Realm,  is  an  independent  order  of 
reality  that  is  higher  than  the  natural  order,  and 
can  not  be  fully  understood  except  by  one  who 
is  born  from  above. 

Nicodemus  said:  "How  can  a  man  be  born 
when  he  is  old?  Can  he  enter  the  second  time 
into  his  mother's  womb  and  be  born?" 

Jesus  answered :  ''It  is  not  a  matter  of  physical 
birth;  but  nevertheless  I  repeat  what  I  said, 
except  one  be  bom  of  Spiritual  Vitality  he  can 
not  advance  into  the  Spiritual  Realm.  That 
which  is  born  of  the  natural  flesh,  is  flesh, 
of  course;  but  that  which  is  born  of  Spiritual 
Vitality  is  spirit.  Do  not  wonder  when  I 
say  that  it  is  necessary  to  be  born  again.  There 
are  other  things  that  are  hard  for  you  to  under- 
stand. You  can  hear  the  sound  of  the  wind  as  it 
passes,  but  you  do  not  know  from  whence  it 
comes,  or  whither  it  is  going.  In  a  similar  way 
one  may  be  conscious  of  the  spiritual  birth  with- 
out being  able  to  understand   from   whence  it 

comes  or  whither  it  will  lead." 

—  50  — 


Nicodemus  replied:    "But  how  can  it  be  pos- 
sible?" 

Jesus  said:  "Are  you  a  teacher  in  Israel, 
Nicodemus,  and  doubt  what  I  have  said?  I  am 
telling  you  only  what  I  know  to  be  true,  and  am 
bearing  witness  only  to  what  I  have  seen;  but 
you  do  not  accept  my  testimony.  If  you  are  un- 
willing to  believe  when  I  tell  you  earthly  things, 
how  do  you  expect  to  believe  if  I  tell  you  Spir- 
itual truths?  No  man  can  enter  the  Spiritual 
Realm  to  prove  its  existence  for  himself.  He 
must  accept  it  on  faith  in  the  word  of  the  only 
one  who  is  able  to  testify,  and  that  One  is  the 
Son  of  man  who  came  forth  from  the  Spiritual 
Realm,  and  still  retains  his  life  in  the  Spiritual 
Realm. 

''Just  as  Moses  lifted  up  the  serpent  in  the 

wilderness,  so  that  all  who  had  faith  to  look  up 

might  be  healed ;  even  thus  must  the  Son  of  man 

be  lifted  up,  so  that  all  those  that  believe  in  the 

Love  Thought  may  not  perish  but  may  enter  the 

timeless  Life  of  the  Spiritual  Realm. 

—  51  — 


"For  Sovereign  Love  so  loved  the  world  that 
he  gave  his  only  begotten  Son  that  whoever  trust- 
ingly believes  in  him  should  not  perish,  but 
should  have  the  timeless  Life.  For  Sovereign 
Love  did  not  send  his  Son  into  the  world  to  con- 
demn the  world,  but  that  the  world  through  him 
might  be  saved.  He  that  trustingly  believes  in 
the  only  begotten  Son  of  Sovereign  Love  does 
not  come  into  judgment,  but  he  that  does  not 
believe  in  him  has  by  that  very  fact  been  already 
judged.  For  the  Love  Thought  has  come  as  a 
Light  into  the  world,  and  men  are  tested  by  their 
attitude  toward  that  Light. 

"If  their  works  are  evil,  men  will  prefer  dark- 
ness rather  than  light;  for  men  that  do  wicked 
deeds  hate  the  light  and  will  not  come  into  it 
because  they  know  that  it  will  expose  their 
wickedness  and  they  will  be  reproved.  But  men 
that  purpose  to  do  right  are  glad  to  come  into  the 
light,  for  they  know  that  it  will  prove  that  their 
deeds  are  in  harmony  with  the  will  of  Sovereign 

Love. 

--  52  — 


"He  that  is  of  the  natural  world,  belongs  to  it 
and  therefore  defends  it,  but  he  that  comes  from 
the  Spiritual  Realm  is  above  all  nature.  He  tells 
of  a  higher  Order  that  he  has  seen  and  experi- 
enced,  but  few,  indeed,  receive  his  testimony. 

*'He  that  does  accept  it,  however,  is  made  con- 
fident that  Sovereign  Love  is  supreme  reality,  and 
that  he,  whom  Sovereign  Love  has  sent,  is  a  true 
expression  of  the  very  Love  Thought  of  Sover- 
eign Love,  for  he  has  been  given  Love  Vitality 
without  measure.  The  Father  loves  the  Son  and 
has  given  all  things  into  his  hands.  He  that  be- 
lieves, and  trusts,  and  obeys  the  Love  Thought 
has  the  timeless,  spiritual  Life;  but  he  that  dis- 
trusts the  Love  Thought  can  never  hope  for  it, 
because  the  displeasure  of  Sovereign  Love  abides 
upon  him." 


—  53  — 


2JTOR  a  time  Jesus  tarried  in  Judea  and  his  dis- 
ciples began  to  baptize  converts.  John  was 
also  baptizing  in  Aenon  near  to  Salim,  where 
there  was  plenty  of  water.  One  day  a  discussion 
arose  between  some  disciples  of  John  and  a  Jew 
about  baptism,  and  they  came  to  John. 

"Teacher,"  they  said,  "He  that  was  with  you 
beyond  the  Jordan  and  whom  you  endorsed,  is 
now  himself  baptizing  and  many  are  going  to 
him."  John  replied :  "A  man  can  have  no  power 
unless  it  is  given  him  from  the  Spiritual  Realm. 
You  will  bear  me  witness  that  I  said,  'I  am  not  the 
Messiah ;  I  am  sent  to  prepare  the  way  for  him.' 
He  that  has  the  bride  is  the  bridegroom,  but  the 
friend  of  the  bridegroom  stands  by  him  and  re- 
joices to  see  his  gladness.  This  is  my  joy.  He 
will  increase,  but  I  must  decrease." 

John  3 :  22-30. 


—  54  — 


JIW  HEN  it  was  brought  to  the  attention  of  Je- 
sus that  the  Pharisees  were  commenting 
on  the  fact  that  his  disciples  were  baptizing  more 
than  John's,  he  left  Judea  and  returned  to  Gali- 
lee. To  do  this  it  was  necessary  for  him  to  pass 
through  Samaria.  On  the  way  he  came  near  the 
town  of  Sychar,  to  the  well  that  Jacob  had  given 
to  his  son  Joseph. 

Jesus  being  weary  with  his  journey,  rested  by 
the  well.  About  noon,  while  his  disciples  had 
gone  to  the  town  to  buy  food,  a  Samaritan  wo- 
man came  to  the  well  to  draw  water.  Jesus  asked 
her  to  give  him  a  drink.  It  was  not  customary 
for  the  Jews  to  hold  intercourse  with  the  Samari- 
tans and  the  woman  naturally  asked  him,  ''Why, 
how  is  this?  that  a  Jew,  as  you  are,  asks  water, 
not  only  of  a  Samaritan,  but  of  a  Samaritan  wo- 
man?" 

Jesus  replied,  ''If  you  knew  about  the  gift  that 
Sovereign  Love  can  give  and  who  it  is  that  asks 

John  4 :  1-42. 

—  55  — 


you  for  a  drink,  you  would  ask  of  him  and  he 
would  freely  give  you,  the  living  water." 

The  woman  said  to  him,  "Sir,  you  have  noth- 
ing with  which  to  draw  and  the  well  is  deep. 
Say,  what  do  you  mean  by  'the  living  water?' 
Are  you  greater  than  our  father  Jacob,  who  gave 
us  the  well  and  drank  of  it  himself  and  his  sons 
and  his  cattle?" 

Jesus  replied,  "Every  one  that  drinks  of  this 
water  shall  thirst  again,  but  whoever  drinks  of 
the  water  that  I  can  give  will  never  thirst,  but  it 
will  be  in  him  an  endless  refreshment  in  a  time- 
less Life."  "Sir,"  said  the  woman,  "give  me  this 
water,  so  that  I  will  not  be  thirsty  and  will  not 
need  to  come  the  long  distance  to  the  well." 

Jesus  said  to  her,  "Go,  call  your  husband  and 
return  here."  She  replied,  "I  have  no  husband." 
"You  speak  truly,"  said  Jesus,  "you  have  had  five 
husbands ;  the  one  you  are  now  living  with  is  not 
your  husband.    That  is  so." 

The  woman  said,  "Sir,  I  see  that  you  are  a 

prophet.     Say,  let  me  ask  you  a  question.     You 

—  56  — 


know  that  our  fathers  have  always  worshipped 
in  this  mountain,  but  the  Jews  say  that  in  Jeru- 
salem is  the  place  where  men  ought  to  worship." 

Jesus  said  to  her:  "Woman,  believe  me,  the 
hour  is  coming  when  it  will  not  be  necessary  to 
go  to  this  mountain  nor  to  Jerusalem,  to  worship 
the  Father.  You  do  not  understand  what  you 
worship,  but  we  do;  and  salvation  comes  from 
the  Jews.  But  the  hour  is  coming,  yes  it  is  al- 
ready here,  when  sincere  believers  may  worship 
the  Father  in  true  spiritual  worship  anywhere, 
for  the  Father  is  everywhere  seeking  such  to 
worship  him.  Sovereign  Love  is  Spirit  and  they 
that  worship  him  must  worship  spiritually  and 
sincerely." 

"Yes,"  said  the  woman,  "I  know  that  the  Mes- 
siah is  coming.  When  he  comes  he  will  make  all 
these  things  plain." 

"I  am  the  Messiah,"  said  Jesus.  "I  am  speak- 
ing with  you  now." 


—  57  — 


Ji  UST  then  the  disciples  returned,  and  although 
they  were  surprised  that  he  should  be  speak- 
ing to  a  Samaritan  woman,  no  one  referred  to  it. 
They  asked  him  to  eat  with  them,  but  he  replied 
sadly,  "I  have  food  to  eat  that  you  do  not  know 
about."  They  whispered  to  one  another,  ''Has 
any  one  brought  him  food?"  Jesus  continued," 
"My  food  is  to  do  the  will  of  him  that  sent  me 
and  to  complete  his  work.  Do  not  say,  there  are 
still  four  months  before  the  time  of  harvest,  why, 
open  your  eyes  and  look  on  the  fields,  they  are 
already  white,  just  waiting  for  the  harvest. 

''There  is  a  harvest  for  the  timeless  life.  Other 
men  have  toiled  to  sow  its  seed,  but  you  are  to 
do  the  reaping.  The  old  proverb  is  true,  'one 
sows,  another  reaps.'  Others  have  toiled  and 
you  will  have  the  benefit,  and  enjoy  the  fruits, 
but  they  that  toiled  in  the  sowing  will  not  be 
without  their  joy,  they  will  rejoice  with  you." 

Meanwhile  the  woman  had  left  her  water  jar 
and  returned  to  the  town  and  said  to  the  people, 

"Come  see  the  man  that  told  me  everything  I 

—  58  — 


ever  did.  Do  you  think  that  he  can  be  the  Mes- 
siah ?"  They  returned  with  her  to  the  well  and 
many  of  the  Samaritans  believed  in  him  from  the 
woman's  testimony. 

They  urged  Jesus  to  remain  v^ith  them  and  he 
did  so  for  two  days,  and  many  more  became  his 
followers,  because  of  his  words.  "We  believe," 
they  said,  "because  we  have  heard  him  ourselves 
and  know  that  he  is  indeed,  the  Saviour  of  the 
world.'' 


—  69  — 


CHAPTER  FOUR. 

Early  Tkaching  in  Galii^ee. 

fX   FTER  these  two  days  Jesus  returned  to  Gal- 
ilee and  dwelt  in  Capernaum,  near  the  bor- 
ders of  Zebulun  and  Naphtali.     From  this  time 
he  went  constantly  about  Galilee,  preaching. 

The  burden  of  his  message  was,  "The  time  is 
come.  The  Spiritual  Realm,  The  Kingdom  of 
Love,  is  here.  Repent  and  believe  in  the  Good 
News."  The  Galileans  received  him  gladly,  for 
many  of  them  were  with  him  in  Jerusalem  at 
the  Feast  and  had  been  witnesses  of  the  things 
that  he  had  done  there. 


Matthew  4:  12-17;  Mark  i:  14-15;  John  4:  43-45- 
—  60  — 


/jPI  NE  day  as  Jesus  was  passing  through  Cana, 
where  he  had  changed  the  water  into  wine, 
a  nobleman  who  lived  in  Capernaum,  sought  him 
out  to  tell  him  that  his  son  was  at  the  point  of 
death  and  to  beseech  him  to  come  and  heal  him. 

Jesus  said  to  him,  "Will  you  not  believe  unless 
you  see  signs  and  wonders?"  Sir,"  said  the  no- 
bleman, "Come,  before  the  child  dies." 

Jesus  said  to  him,  "You  may  return  home,  the 
boy  will  live."  The  man  believed  Jesus  and  im- 
mediately started  on  his  way  back.  Before  he 
reached  home  he  met  his  servants  coming  to  tell 
him  that  his  child  was  getting  better.  He  in- 
quired of  them  as  to  the  hour  when  he  began  to 
improve  and  they  told  him,  that  the  fever  had 
left  the  child  at  about  the  seventh  hour.  So  the 
father  knew  that  it  was  at  the  very  hour  that 
Jesus  had  said  to  him,  'your  son  will  live.'  Be- 
cause of  the  healing  he  and  his  whole  family  be- 
came believers. 


John  4:  46-54. 

—  61  — 


/|P|  NE  day  Jesus  was  passing  by  the  Sea  of 
Galilee  and  the  multitude  pressed  upon 
him  to  hear  the  word  of  God.  There  were  two 
boats  near  by  and  the  fishermen  had  come  ashore 
to  clean  their  nets.  One  of  the  boats  belonged  to 
Peter  and  Andrew.  Jesus  went  aboard  this  boat 
and  asked  them  to  push  off  a  little  from  the  shore 
while  he  talked  to  the  multitude  from  the  boat. 

When  he  had  ceased  speaking,  he  said  to  Peter, 
"Push  out  into  deep  water  and  let  down  your 
nets."  But  Peter  hesitated  and  said,  "Master, 
we  worked  all  last  night  and  took  nothing,  never- 
theless, if  you  say  so,  we  will  try  again." 

When  they  had  let  down  the  nets,  they  enclos- 
ed a  great  quantity  of  fish,  so  much  so,  that  the 
nets  began  to  break.  They  signaled  to  their  part- 
ners in  the  other  boat  to  come  and  help  them, 
and  both  boats  were  filled  so  that  they  almost 
sank. 

When  Peter  saw  the  draught  of  fish  he  was 
amazed,  and  so  were  his  partners,  James  and 


Matthew  4:  18-22;  Mark  i:  16-20;  Luke  5:  i-ii. 
—  62  — 


John,  the  sons  of  Zebedee.  Peter  kneeled  at  the 
feet  of  Jesus  and  said,  ''Oh  Lord,  I  am  a  sinful 
man,  I  am  unworthy  to  be  in  thy  presence." 

Jesus  replied  to  him,  "Do  not  be  afraid,  Peter, 
but  come  with  me  and,  from  now  on,  we  will  fish 
for  men."  So  they  brought  their  boat  to  the 
shore  and  left  all  and  followed  him. 

Going  a  little  farther,  Jesus  called  to  James 
and  John.  They  left  their  father  Zebedee  in  the 
boat  with  the  hired  servants  and  they  also  fol- 
lowed him. 


/|C|  NE  sabbath  day  he  went  to  the  synagogue  in 
Capernaum  and   taught  the  people.     As 
usual,  they  were  much  astonished  at  his  teach- 
ing, for  he  spoke  with  evident  authority. 

There  was  present  a  man  who  was  possessed 
by  the  spirit  of  an  unclean  demon.  The  man  cried 
out  in  a  loud  voice,  ''We  know  who  you  are.  You 
are  Jesus  of  Nazareth,  the  Holy  One  of  God. 


Matthew  8:  14-17;  Mark  i:  21-34;  Luke  4:  31-41. 
—  63  — 


Let  us  alone.  What  have  we  done  that  you 
should  come  to  destroy  us?"  Jesus  rebuked  the 
demon  and  commanded  him  to  come  out  of  the 
man.  After  throwing  him  into  a  convulsion,  the 
demon  left  him.  Every  one  was  amazed  and 
questioned  each  other  as  to  the  secret  of  his  pow- 
er, a  power  that  even  the  evil  spirits  obeyed. 

When  they  came  out  of  the  synagogue  they 
went  into  the  house  of  Peter  and  Andrew,  and 
James  and  John  went  with  them.  It  happened 
that  Peter's  mother-in-law  was  sick  with  a  fever. 
They  told  Jesus  about  her  condition  and  besought 
him  to  heal  her.  Jesus  took  her  by  the  hand  and 
rebuked  the  fever  and  it  subsided  immediately. 
She  rose  from  her  bed  and  at  once  began  to  serve 
them. 

As  evening  drew  near  it  seemed  as  though  the 
whole  town  was  gathered  at  the  door.  They 
brought  to  him  all  that  were  sick  and  he  laid 
his  hands  on  them  and  healed  them.  Many  de- 
moniacs were  brought  to  him,  some  of  whom  rec- 
ognized him  as  the  Messiah  and  cried  out,  "Thou 

—  64  ^ 


art  the  Son  of  God."  Jesus  rebuked  the  demons, 
not  letting  them  speak,  and  commanded  them  to 
be  gone.  All  of  this  was  in  accordance  with  the 
prophecy  of  Isaiah,  who  said,  "He  carried  our  in- 
firmities and  bore  our  diseases." 


^jfj  EFORE  daylight  the  next  morning,  Jesus 
rose  and  went  away  to  a  desolate  place 
where  he  could  be  alone  to  pray.  Peter  and  the 
others  sought  him  out  and  when  they  found  him 
they  said,  "Every  one  is  searching  for  you."  Jesus 
replied:  "Let  us  go  away  into  other  towns  that 
I  may  preach  there  also,  for  that  is  the  reason 
that  I  have  come  forth  from  Sovereign  Love:  to 
proclaim  everywhere  the  Good  News  of  the  Spir- 
itual Realm." 

When  Jesus  came  down  from  the  mountain, 
great  multitudes  followed  him.  At  first  they 
tried  to  keep  him  from  leaving  their  village;  but 


Matthew  4 :  23 ;  8 :  2-4 ;  Mark  i :  35-45 ;  Luke  4 :  42- 
44;  5:  12-16. 

—  65  — 


he  left  them  and  went  about  all  Galilee,  teaching 
in  their  synagogues,  telling  the  Good  News  of  the 
Spiritual  Realm,  and  healing  all  manner  of  sick- 
ness among  the  people. 

In  one  of  the  villages  a  leper  came  to  him  and 
crouching  at  his  feet  besought  him  to  heal  him. 
He  said,  "If  you  are  willing  to  do  it,  you  can 
make  me  clean."  Jesus  pitied  the  poor  man  and 
laid  his  hands  on  him  and  said,  "I  am  willing  to 
do  it.  Be  clean."  The  leprosy  left  him  at  once 
and  he  was  clean. 

Jesus  commanded  him  not  to  talk  about  it,  but 

to  go  at  once  to  the  temple,  show  himself  to  the 

priest,  and  offer  the  customary  sacrifice  for  his 

cleansing.     But  the  man  could  not  refrain  from 

talking   about    it.      The    crowds    that    followed 

Jesus  increased  so  much  that  he  could  no  longer 

enter  a  town  publicly.     He  spent  much  of  his 

time  away  in  solitary  places  where  he  could  be 

alone  in  prayer.     Still  the  people  found  him  out 

and  came  to  him  from  every  quarter. 

—  66  — 


/|P|  N  one  of  these  occasions  Jesus  was  in  a 
house  speaking  and  healing  the  sick,  and 
it  was  evident  that  the  power  of  the  Lord  was 
with  him.  By  this  time  the  Pharisees  and  law- 
yers had  begun  to  take  notice  of  him  and  some 
of  them  were  present  from  GaHlee  and  Judea 
and  even  from  Jerusalem.  The  rooms  were 
ciowded  and  it  was  difficult  to  get  near  him. 
Some  men  came,  bringing  a  paralyzed  man  on  a 
stretcher.  When  they  found  that  it  was  impossi- 
ble to  gain  entrance  because  of  the  crowd,  they 
carried  him  to  the  roof  and,  after  removing  the 
tile  and  roof  boards,  they  lowered  the  stretcher 
with  the  man  on  it,  into  the  midst  of  the  company. 

Jesus,  seeing  their  faith,  said  to  the  paralytic, 
**My  son,  be  comforted,  your  sins  are  forgiven." 
The  scribes  and  the  Pharisees  whispered  together, 
saying,  "This  man  is  blasphemous.  No  one  can 
forgive  sins  but  God." 

Jesus  was  conscious  of  their  thoughts  and  said 
to  them,  "Why  do  you  raise  these  evil  questions 


Matthew  9:  2-8;  Mark  2:  1-12;  Luke  5:  17-26. 
—  67  — 


in  your  hearts?  What  difference  does  it  make, 
whether  I  say,  'Your  sins  are  forgiven,'  or  'Arise 
and  walk?'  But  that  you  may  know  that  the  Son 
of  man  has  authority  on  earth  to  forg\ve  sins,  I 
will  heal  this  man." 

Then  turning  to  the  one  who  was  paralyzed 
he  said,  ''I  say  to  you,  take  up  this  bedding  and 
return  to  your  home."  Immediately  the  sick  man 
rose  up  before  them,  folded  together  the  bedding 
on  which  he  lay  and  returned  to  his  home,  prais- 
ing God. 

The  bystanders  were  filled  with  amazement 
and  cried  out,  "Glory  to  God!"  As  they  sepa- 
rated a  feehng  of  awe  came  over  them  as  they 
thought  of  the  marvelous  thing  that  they  had 
seen. 


—  68  — 


A  FTER  this  Jesus  went  out  and  came  to  a 
^  ^  tax  station  by  the  seashore.  A  publican  by 
the  name  of  Levi  was  in  charge  and,  when  Jesus 
saw  him  and  invited  him  to  become  one  of  his 
disciples,  he  at  once  left  everything  and  followed 
Jesus. 

Levi  invited  him  to  a  feast  to  which  he  also  in- 
vited many  others,  among  whom  were  many 
pubHcans  and  sinners.  Nevertheless  Jesus  and 
his  disciples  went  in  and  ate  with  them. 

The  Pharisees  and  scribes  who  were  following 
Jesus  found  fault  with  this  and  said  to  his  dis- 
ciples, "Why  does  your  Master  eat  with  tax  col- 
lectors and  sinners?"  Jesus  replied  to  them, 
"Who  is  it  that  requires  a  physician?  Is  it  the 
sick  or  the  well?  I  am  not  come  to  call  the 
righteous  but  to  call  sinners  to  repentance." 

Then  they  said  to  him,  "The  disciples  of  John 
often  fast  and  it  is  our  own  custom  also,  but  your 
disciples  eat  and  drink  freely.  How  is  this?" 
Jesus  said  to  them,  "Can  you  make  the  friends  of 


Matthew  9:  9-17;  Mark  2:  13-22;  Luke  5:  27-39. 
—  69  — 


the  bridegroom  fast  while  he  is  with  them?  The 
day  will  come  when  the  bridegroom  will  be  taken 
away  from  them;  then  they  will  fast.  No  one 
spoils  a  new  garment  to  patch  an  old  one.  If 
he  does  that  he  not  only  ruins  the  new  garment, 
but  the  new  cloth  tears  away  from  the  old  and 
makes  the  rent  still  worse.  No  one  puts  new 
wine  into  old  wine  skins,  because  it  will  burst 
and  ruin  the  old  skins  and  be  itself  lost.  No, 
new  wine  must  be  put  into  fresh  wine  skins.  But, 
alas,  no  one  who  is  used  to  old  ways  likes  the 
new;  they  always  think  that  the  old  are  better." 


^jTESUS  again  went  up  to  Jerusalem  to  a  feast. 
Near  the  Sheep  Gate  there  is  a  pool  that  is 
called  Bethesda.  It  has  five  porches  and  under 
these  porches  are  always  lying  a  great  many  sick 
people,  those  that  were  blind  and  lame  and  para- 
lyzed. 

John  5. 

—  70  — 


These  people  believed  that  at  certain  times  an 
angel  of  the  Lord  descended  into  the  pool,  caus- 
ing the  water  to  be  disturbed,  and  whoever  could 
first  get  into  the  pool  afterward,  would  be  healed 
of  whatever  sickness  he  had. 

Jesus  visited  the  pool  and  saw  a  man  who  had 
been  sick  for  thirty  eight  years  and  asked  him  if 
he  would  like  to  be  cured.  The  man  replied, 
*'Oh  Sir,  I  have  no  one  to  help  me  into  the  pool 
when  the  water  is  troubled.  While  I  am  getting 
down,  someone  else  crowds  by  and  gets  there 
first." 

Jesus  said  to  him,  ''Rise  up,  take  your  mat  and 
go  away."  Immediately  the  man  was  well,  took 
up  his  mat,  and  walked  off.  It  happened  to  be  the 
sabbath  day  when  this  occurred  and  some  Jews 
seeing  the  man  carrying  his  bed  said  to  him,  "To- 
day is  the  sabbath,  you  have  no  right  to  be  carry- 
ing a  burden." 

The  man  replied,  *'The  one  who  made  me  well, 

said  to  me,  'take  up  your  mat  and  walk.'  " 

—  71  — 


The  Jews  asked  him  who  it  was  that  had  told 
him  to  do  it,  but  the  man  did  not  know,  for  Jesus 
had  disappeared  into  the  crowd. 

Later  in  the  day  Jesus  recognized  him  in  the 
temple  and  spoke  to  him,  saying,  'Xisten,  my 
friend,  you  are  well  now.  Do  not  sin  any  more, 
or  you  may  suffer  still  worse." 

The  man  went  to  the  Jews  and  told  them  that 
it  was  Jesus  that  had  healed  him.  The  Jews  at 
once  began  to  persecute  Jesus  for  breaking  the 
sabbath,  but  he  replied,  ''My  Father  is  working 
all  the  time  and  so  must  I." 


JTT  EIEN  the  Jews  sought  to  kill  him,  not  only 
because  he  had  broken  the  sabbath,  but  be- 
cause, by  calling  God  his  Father,  he  had  the  same 
as  claimed  equality  with  God. 

Jesus  said  to  them,  "Most  seriously  I  tell  you, 
the  Son  can  do  nothing  of  himself,  but  only  what 

he  sees  the  Father  doing.    The  Father  loves  the 

—  72  — 


Son  and  reveals  to  him  what  he  is  himself  doing." 
Whatever  he  does,  the  Son  can  do  and  in  the 
same  manner. 

"Sovereign  Love  recognizes  and  vitalizes  the 
Love  Thought  anywhere  and  everywhere,  and  the 
Love  Thought  can  intuitively  understand  what  is 
in  the  heart  of  Sovereign  Love  and  what  Love  is 
doing.  Whatever  Sovereign  Love  is  doing,  the 
Love  Thought  can  do,  but  only  in  the  same  loving 
manner." 

Jesus  said  to  them,  "You  have  wondered  at 
the  things  you  have  already  seen,  but  greater 
works  than  these  will  the  Father  show  the  Son, 
that  you  may  be  filled  with  deeper  wonder.  For 
just  as  the  Father  awakens  the  dead  and  gives 
them  life,  so  the  Son  also,  gives  Life  to  whom  he 
will.  The  Spiritual  Life  is  the  gift  of  Sovereign 
Love  and  1,  The  Love  Thought,  can  give  it  also. 

"Neither  does  the  Father  judge  any  one  for  he 

has  given  all  judgment  to  the  Son,  so  that  all  shall 

honor  the  Son  just  as  they  honor  the  Father.  He 

that  does  not  honor  the  Love  Thought  does  not 

—  73  — 


honor  Sovereign  Love  that  sent  the  Love  Thought 
into  the  world. 

"I  tell  you  seriously,  he  that  hears  my  words 
and  believes  in  him  that  sent  me,  has  the  time- 
less Life  and  will  not  come  into  judgment,  for  he 
has  already  passed  out  of  the  sway  of  natural 
death  into  the  higher  Life  of  the  spirit. 

*'He  that  hears  the  word  of  Love  and  believes 
it,  that  trusts  and  obeys  Sovereign  Love,  already 
has  the  timeless,  spiritual  Life.  He  has  already 
met  the  conditions  and  has  passed  from  the  nat- 
ural realm  into  correspondence  with  the  Spiritual. 

''Again,  and  I  am  speaking  most  seriously,  the 

hour  comes,  yes,  it  is  here,  when  even  the  dead 

shall  hear  the  voice  of   the  Son  of   Sovereign 

Love,  and  they  that  hear  it  shall  Live.     The 

Father,  who  is  Love  Absolute,  is  the  source  of 

vitality  in  himself  and  he  has  given  to  the  Son, 

who  is  his  own  Love  Thought,  to  be  the  same 

source  of  vitality;  and,  because  he  is  the  Son  of 

man,  he  gave  him  authority  to  bring  men  to  the 

test. 

—  74  — 


"Do  not  marvel  at  this.  The  hour  comes,  when 
all  that  are  in  the  grave  even,  shall  hear  his  voice 
and  come  forth, — they  that  have  done  good  into 
a  higher  Life  and  they  that  have  done  evil  into 
the  finality  of  judgment. 


♦♦  j[l  can  accomplish  nothing  if  I  act  selfishly. 
I  test  men  as  I  have  been  taught  by  Sover- 
eign Love,  and  my  test  will  be  fair,  because  my 
aim  is  not  to  do  my  own  will,  but  to  do  the  will  of 
him  who  sent  me. 

"I  can  not  receive  honor  from  men  when  they 
do  not  have  the  love  of  God  in  their  hearts.  I 
am  come  in  Love's  name  and  you  are  unwilling  to 
receive  me.  If  another  should  come  in  his  own 
name  you  would  receive  him.  Why  is  it  that  you 
are  willing  to  receive  those  whose  only  glory 
comes  from  one  another,  but  reject  the  one  whose 
glory  comes  from  Sovereign  Love? 

"Do  not  think  that  I  will  accuse  you  to  the 

Father.    The  one  who  accuses  you  is  Moses,  the 

—  75  — 


very  one  on  whom  you  set  your  hope.  But  if  you 
really  believed  in  Moses,  you  would  believe  in  me, 
for  he  wrote  of  me.  If  you  do  not  believe  his 
writings,  of  course  you  will  not  believe  what  I  say. 

"I  am  telling  you  these  things  that,  if  possible, 
you  may  be  saved.  If  I  only  bore  witness  of  my- 
self, my  witness  would  not  be  convincing,  but 
besides  Moses  there  is  another  that  bears  witness 
of  me,  and  I  know  that  his  witness  is  true.  John 
was  a  bright  and  shining  torch  and  for  a  time  you 
were  glad  to  rejoice  in  his  light.  You  sent  to 
John  and  he  told  you  the  truth. 

''But  it  is  not  necessary  for  me  to  appeal  to  the 
witness  of  men.  The  mission  to  which  the  Father 
has  called  me,  the  very  works  that  I  do,  they  all 
testify  that  Sovereign  Love  has  sent  me.  This 
should  be  sufficient  evidence,  but  there  is 
still  One  who  is  greater  than  all  these,  who 
bears  witness  of  me.  It  is  the  Father  who  bears 
witneSrS  to  me.     But  you  have  never  heard  his 

voice  or  seen  his  form,  and  it  is  because  you  do 

—  76  ~ 


not  have  his  spirit  of  Love  abiding  in  you,  that 
you  do  not  believe  in  me  whom  he  has  sent. 

''You  search  the  scriptures  because  you  think 
that  in  them  you  will  find  eternal  life,  but  you  will 
not  come  to  me,  to  whom  these  very  scriptures 
bear  witness.  You  will  not  come  to  me,  the  only 
One  who  is  able  to  give  you  the  higher  Life  of  the 
spirit. 

"I  have  just  cured  this  sick  man  on  the  sabbath 
day  and  you  criticise  me  for  it.  Circumcision  is  a 
custom  that  has  come  down  from  the  fathers 
which  Moses  endorsed,  and  on  this  sabbath  day 
you  have  as  usual  circumcised  a  child.  If  it  is 
right  to  mutilate  a  child  by  circumcision  on  the 
sabbath  day  according  to  the  law  of  Moses,  why 
are  you  angry  with  me  because  I  make  a  man 
well?  Do  not  be  superficial  in  your  judgments; 
be  reasonable  and  just." 

Jesus  then  returned  to  Galilee  and  continued  to 
go  about  teaching  in  their  synagogues  and  pro- 
claiming the  Good  News  of  the  Spiritual  Realm. 


John  7:  21-24.  Matthew  4:  23-25. 

—  77  — 


The  reports  of  his  power  went  all  over  Syria  and 
they  brought  to  him  those  that  were  sick,  the  in- 
sane, demoniacs,  epileptics,  or  those  that  were 
paralyzed,  and  he  healed  them  all.  Great  multi- 
tudes from  all  Galilee,  from  Decapolis  and  Jeru- 
salem, from  all  Judea  and  even  from  beyond  the 
Jordan,  followed  him  about. 


/|[%  NE  sabbath  Jesus  and  his  disciples  were 
passing  through  a  grain  field  and,  as  his 
disciples  were  hungry,  they  began  to  break  off 
the  grain  and  rub  it  in  their  hands  and  eat  the 
kernels.  When  the  Pharisees  noticed  it,  they 
said  to  Jesus,  "Look,  your  disciples  are  doing 
what  it  is  not  lawful  to  do  on  the  sabbath." 

Jesus  replied :  "Have  you  not  read  what  David 
did  in  the  time  of  Abiather,  the  high  priest? 
When  he  and  his  soldiers  were  hungry  they  went 
into  the  house  of  God  and  actually  ate  the  show 


Matthew  12:  1-8;  Mark  2:  23-28;  Luke  6:  1-5. 
—  78  — 


bread  that  was  ofifered  on  the  altar,  which  you 
know,  he  had  no  right  to  do,  as  it  is  reserved  for 
the  priests.  Have  you  not  read  in  the  Book  of 
the  Law,  that  when  the  priests  have  to  labor  in 
the  temple  services  on  the  sabbath  day,  they  are 
not  held  guilty? 

"Let  me  say  to  you,  there  is  one  here  who  is 
greater  than  the  temple.  The  Son  of  man  is  Lord 
of  the  sabbath.  If  you  had  understood  the  mean- 
ing of  the  old  saying,  7  desire  loving  kindness 
and  not  sacrifice,'  you  would  not  have  condemned 
these  men,  who  are  guiltless  of  any  real  offence." 


^Wtt'  HEN  Jesus  entered  the  synagogue,  he  saw 
a  man  with  a  withered  hand.  The  scribes 
and  the  Pharisees  were  there  as  usual,  watching 
to  see  if  he  would  do  anything  that  was  unlaw- 
ful, because  they  wanted  a  chance  to  accuse  him. 
Jesus  could  read  their  thoughts  and  said  to  them, 


Matthew  12:  9-14;  Mark  3:  1-6;  Luke  6:  6-1 1. 

—  79  — 


"If  one  of  you  had  a  sheep  that  fell  into  a  pit  on 
the  sabbath  day,  would  you  not  take  hold  and  lift 
it  out?  Of  how  much  more  value  is  a  man  than 
a  sheep?  Is  it  lawful  to  do  good  on  the  sabbath 
or  to  do  harm?  to  save  a  Hfe  or  to  destroy  one? 
Of  course  it  is  right  to  do  good  on  the  sabbath." 

As  he  looked  among  them  and  noticed  the 
hardness  of  their  hearts,  he  was  grieved  and  an- 
gry, but  as  they  made  no  reply  to  his  question,  he 
told  the  man  with  the  withered  hand  to  stand  up, 
and  said  to  him,  ''Stretch  forth  your  hand."  He 
did  so  and  it  was  perfect  like  the  other. 

This  only  served  to  make  the  Pharisees  the 

more  angry.    They  went  out  and  consulted  with 

the  Galilean  officials  as  to  how  they  could  get  rid 
of  Jesus. 


—  80  — 


CHAPTER  FIVE. 

Choosing  the  Twelve  and  Stay  in  Galilee. 

^jfjfi  HEN  Jesus  perceived  the  intent  of  the 
Pharisees  to  make  away  with  him,  he 
withdrew  to  the  mountainous  shores  of  Galilee, 
but  still  the  multitude  followed  him.  They  came 
from  Jerusalem,  from  Idumaea  and  beyond  Jor- 
dan, and  even  from  the  sea  coast  of  Tyre  and 
Sidon.  They  brought  their  sick  with  them,  the 
insane  and  those  that  had  the  plague,  and  sought 
to  touch  him,  for  power  seemed  to  come  forth 
from  him,  and  he  healed  them  all. 

The  old  prophecy  of  Isaiah  was  being  fulfilled. 

''He  is  my  beloved  in  whom  my  soul  delights. 

I  will  put  my  spirit  upon  him 

And  he  shall  he  a  standard  for  the  nations. 


Matthew     4:  23-25;   12:  15-21;  Mark  3:  7-12;  Luke 
6:  17-19. 

—  81  — 


He  will  not  strive  or  cry  aloud, 

No  one  in  the  streets  shall  he  disturbed  by  him. 

A  bruised  reed  he  zuill  not  break, 

And  a  wick  that  is  almost  out,  he  will  7wt 

quench. 
He  will  bring  justice  to  victory 
And  in  his  name  shall  the  nations  hope." 


JTTHE  crowds  so  pressed  upon  him  that  he  asked 
his  disciples  to  get  a  boat.  They  crossed 
the  sea  and  went  up  into  the  mountains  to  pray, 
and  all  that  night  he  continued  in  prayer  to  Sov- 
ereign Love. 

When  it  was  day  he  called  from  among  his 
followers  twelve  that  should  be  his  especial  dis- 
ciples. He  planned  that  these  should  be  with  him 
all  the  time,  so  that  they  might  more  thoroughly 
understand  his  teaching  and  be  ready  when  he 
wanted  them  to  go  forth  to  preach. 


Mark  3:  13-19;  Luke  6:  12-19. 

—  82  — 


The  twelve  that  he  chose  were  Simon,  whom 
he  had  named  Peter,  or  the  Rock,  Andrew  his 
brother,  the  two  sons  of  Zebedee,  James  and 
John,  whom  he  afterward  called  the  Sons  of 
Thunder,  Philip  and  Bartholomew,  Matthew,  the 
tax  collector,  Thomas,  James  the  son  of  Alpheas, 
Thaddeus,  Simon  the  Zealot,  and  Judas  Iscariot, 
who  betrayed  him. 


^tttt  ITH  these  twelve  Jesus  withdrew  from  the 
multitude  into  the  mountains.  When  they 
were  quite  alone  they  seated  themselves  and  Je- 
sus taught  them  many  things,  so  that  they  might 
teach  others.    He  said  to  them : 

''Blessed  are  the  humble  in  spirit,  for  the  whole 

Spiritual  Realm  is  theirs. 
Blessed  are  they  that  mourn  for  they  shall  he 

comforted. 


Matthew  5,  6,  7;  Luke  6:  20-49;  11:  9-13;  12:  22-31. 
—  83  — 


Blessed  are  the  gentle  for  they  shall  inherit  the 

earth. 
Blessed  are  they  that  hunger  and  thirst  after 

goodness  for  they  shall  be  satisfied. 
Blessed  are  the  merciful  for  they  shall  obtain 

mercy. 
Blessed  are  the  pure  in  heart  for  they  shall  see 

Sovereign  Love. 
Blessed  are  the  peace  makers  for  they  shall  be 

called  sons  of  Sovereign  Love. 
Blessed  are  they  zvho  are  persecuted  for  their 

goodness,  for  theirs,  also,  is  the  Spiritttal 

Realm. 

"And  you,  my  disciples  are  blessed  when  men 
reproach  you  and  persecute  you  and  say  all  man- 
ner of  cruel  things  against  you  falsely,  for  my 
sake.  Rejoice  and  be  very  glad,  for  great  is  your 
reward  in  the  Spiritual  Realm,  for  the  prophets 
of  old  were  persecuted  in  the  same  way. 

Woe  unto  the  rich  for  they  are  now  enjoying 

all  the  comforts  they  will  ever  have ! 

—  84  — 


Woe  unto  those  who  are  now  surfeited,  for 
they  will  go  hungry  hereafter! 

Woe  unto  those  that  now  laugh  for  later  on 
they  will  mourn ! 

And  woe  unto  you,  my  disciples,  when  all  men 
shall  speak  well  of  you,  for  the  false  prophets  of 
old  were  praised  in  the  same  way. 


**M[  OU  are  to  be  a  kind  of  salt  to  the  natural 
%«      order,  but  if  the  salt  has  lost  its  virtue, 
what  good  is  it?    It  is  good  for  nothing  but  to 
be  thrown  out  and  trodden  under  foot. 

**You  are  to  be  a  light  to  the  natural  order.  Men 
do  not  light  a  lamp  and  then  hide  it  under  a 
bushel  measure.  They  put  it  on  a  stand  where 
it  shines  for  all  in  the  house.  In  the  same  way 
let  your  light  shine  before  men,  that  they  may 
see  your  usefulness  and  then  they  will  glorify 
your  Father  who  is  in  the  Spiritual  Realm. 

Luke  II :  33. 

—  85  — 


''Do  not  think  that  I  have  come  to  set  aside  the 
Law  and  the  Prophets.  I  came  not  to  annul,  but 
to  fulfill.  I  say  emphatically,  that  as  long  as  the 
natural  heavens  and  the  earth  remain,  not  the  dot 
of  an  ivor  the  cross  of  a  f  of  the  Law,  shall  pass 
away  until  all  be  accomplished. 

"Whoever  therefore  that  shall  break  the  least 
of  these  commandments,  or  shall  teach  men  to  do 
so,  shall  be  called  least  in  the  Spiritual  Realm. 
But  whoever  shall  do  and  teach  them  shall  be 
called  great  in  the  Spiritual  Realm. 

"I  warn  you  that  unless  your  righteousness  ex- 
ceeds that  of  the  scribes  and  Pharisees,  you  will 
have  no  chance  of  entering  the  Spiritual  Realm. 


♦  ^JjtOU  know  that  it  was  said  of  old,  'Thou 

8^      shalt  not  kill,'  and  'whoever  kills  will  he 

in  danger  of  judgment'  that  'whoever  insults  his 

brother  must  come  before  the  Sanhedrim/  and 

'zvhoever  curses  his  brother  must  be  cast  into 

—  86  — 


Gehenna.'  But  I  say  to  you  that  if  any  one  is 
even  angry  with  his  brother,  he  has  already  com- 
mitted murder  in  his  heart. 

"If  you  come  to  the  temple  altar  with  an  offer- 
ing, and  should  recall  that  your  brother  had  some- 
thing against  you,  leave  your  offering  there  and 
first  become  reconciled  to  him,  and  then  come  and 
make  your  offering. 

*'If  you  have  an  adversary,  come  to  an  agree- 
ment with  him  quickly  while  you  are  with  him. 
If  you  delay  he  may  summon  you  to  the  judge, 
and  the  judge  deliver  you  to  an  officer,  and  the 
officer  take  you  to  prison.  I  warn  you  that  you 
will  not  be  released  until  you  have  paid  the  last 
penny. 

*'You  know  that  it  was  said  of  old,  'Thou  shalt 
not  commit  adultery.'  But  I  say  to  you,  that  if 
anyone  looks  at  a  woman  lustfully,  he  has  already 
committed  adultery  in  his  heart. 

''If  your  right  eye  causes  you  to  stumble,  pluck 

it  out  and  throw  it  away,  for  it  will  be  better  for 

—  87  — 


you  to  lose  an  eye  and  enter  the  Spiritual  Realm, 
than  to  keep  an  eye  and  be  cast  into  Gehenna. 

"If  your  right  hand  causes  you  to  sin,  cut  it  off 
and  throw  it  away.  It  is  better  that  you  lose  one 
member  than  that  your  whole  body  be  cast  into 
Gehenna. 

*'It  was  said  also,  'Whoever  putteth  away  his 
zvife,  let  him  give  her  a  letter  of  divorcement.' 
But  I  say  to  you,  if  any  one  divorces  his  wife,  he 
makes  her  an  adulteress  and  whoever  marries 
her  after  she  has  been  divorced,  commits  adul- 
tery. 

*'You  have  heard  it  said  of  old,  'Thou  shalt  not 

szuear  falsely/  and  'Thou  shalt  fulfill  thy  vow 

to  the  Lord.'    But  I  say  to  you,  do  not  make  a 

vow  at  all.    Neither  by  the  Spiritual  Realm  for  it 

is  the  throne  of  Sovereign  Love ;  nor  by  the  earth 

for  it  is  his  footstool ;  nor  by  Jerusalem  for  it  is 

the  city  of  the  great  king.    Do  not  vow  by  your 

head  because  you  cannot  make  one  hair  white  or 

black.    Let  your  speech  be  yes,  or  no.    What  is 

more  than  this  is  prompted  of  evil. 

—  88  — 


*'You  have  heard  what  was  said  of  old,  'An 
eye  for  an  eye,  a  tooth  for  a  tooth/  But  I  say  to 
you,  do  not  resist  evil.  If  one  strikes  you  on  the 
right  cheek,  turn  to  him  the  other.  If  a  man  sues 
you  in  the  courts  and  takes  your  coat,  let  him 
have  your  shirt  also.  If  he  compels  you  to  go  a 
mile,  go  with  him  two.  If  a  man  asks  a  favor  of 
you,  grant  it,  or  if  he  wants  to  borrow  something, 
let  him  have  it.  If  one  even  steals  your  things, 
or  takes  them  by  force,  do  not  ask  to  have  them 
returned. 

"If  you  lend  only  to  them  from  whom  you  hope 
to  receive,  what  credit  is  it  to  you  ?  Even  sinners 
lend  to  sinners,  hoping  to  receive  as  much  in  re- 
turn. No,  do  unto  others  as  you  would  like  to 
have  them  do  to  you. 

"You  have  heard  it  said  of  old,  'Thou  sJmlt 

love  thy  neighbor  and  hate  thy  enemy/    But  I  ,say 

to  you,  love  your  enemies  and  pray  for  them  that 

persecute  you.    Do  good  to  them,  lend  to  them, 

despairing  of  no  man.     By   so  doing  you  will 

show  yourselves  to  be  sons  of  your  Father,  who 

—  89  — 


is  in  the  Spiritual  Realm ;  for  he  makes  the  sun  to 
rise  on  both  the  evil  and  the  good;  he  sends  the 
rain  on  the  just  and  the  unjust  alike.  The  Most 
High  is  kind  even  to  the  unthankful  and  the  wick- 
ed. 


^i  F  you  only  love  them  that  love  you,  how  are 
you  better  than  the  publicans  ?  If  you  only 
greet  your  friends,  how  are  you  any  better  than 
others?  Why,  even  the  heathen  do  that.  Your 
Father  in  the  Spiritual  Realm  is  perfect.  You 
must  try  to  be  perfect  also. 

"Be  careful  not  to  be  ostentatious  in  your  good 
deeds.  If  you  make  a  display  of  them,  you  for- 
feit any  reward  from  your  Father  in  the  Spiritual 
Realm.  If  you  give  charitable  gifts,  do  not  ad- 
vertise them,  as  the  hypocrites  do,  in  the  cathe- 
drals and  on  the  streets,  that  they  may   have 

praise  of  men.    They  have  had  their  reward,  the 

—  90  — 


honor  of  men;  but,  mark  my  word,  it  is  all  the 
reward  they  will  ever  get. 

"When  you  give  in  charity  do  not  let  even 
your  right  hand  know  what  your  left  hand  is 
doing.  Let  your  charity  be  in  secret  and  your 
Father  who  knows  about  every  thing  that  is  done 
in  secret,  will  reward  you  openly. 

"When  you  pray,  do  not  be  as  the  hypocrites, 
for  they  delight  to  pose  in  public  places,  in  the 
synagogue  and  even  on  the  street  corners,  so  that 
they  may  be  seen.  They  have  had  their  reward 
and  it  is  all  they  will  get. 

"But  you,  my  disciples,  when  you  pray,  go 
where  you  will  be  quite  alone,  and  having  shut 
the  door,  pray  to  the  Father,  who  is  himself  un- 
seen, and  he  will  hear  and  answer.  In  praying, 
do  not  use  vain  repetitions,  as  the  heathen  do,  who 
think  they  will  be  heard  for  their  much  speaking. 
Do  not  copy  them.  In  praying  to  your  Father, 
remember  that  he  knows  of  what  you  have  need 

before  you  ask  him." 

—  91  — 


/ift  NE  of  the  disciples  said,  "Master,  teach  us 
to  pray,  as  John  taught  his  disciples." 
Jesus  said :  "Pray  like  this,  'Our  Father,  who  art 
in  the  Spiritual  Realm,  hallowed  be  thy  name. 
Thy  Kingdom  come,  thy  will  be  done  on  earth  as 
it  is  done  in  the  Spiritual  Realm.  *Give  us  for 
daily  bread  the  Word  of  Love  from  the  Spiritual 
Realm;  and  forgive  us  our  sins  as  we  forgive 
them  that  sin  against  us.  Lead  us  not  into 
temptation,  but  deliver  us  from  evil.' 

"If  you  forgive  men  their  trespasses,  your 
Father  in  the  Spiritual  Realm  will  forgive  you. 
But  if  you  are  unwilling  to  forgive  others,  neither 
will  your  Father  forgive  you. 

"Moreover  when  you  fast  do  not  be  like  the 
hypocrites  with  a  sad  countenance,  for  they  even 
disfigure  their  faces  so  that  other  men  will  notice 
that  they  are  fasting.  They  receive  their  reward, 
such  as  it  is.  But  when  you  fast,  wash  your  face 
and  anoint  your  hair,  so  that  men  will  not  notice 
that  you  are  fasting.  But  your  Father  who  knows 


Luke  II  :  1-4.    *01d  Latin  MS. 
—  92  — 


every  secret  thing,  will  notice  it  and  will  rec- 
ompense you. 

**Do  not  lay  up  treasure  upon  earth,  where 
moths  consume,  and  rust  corrodes,  and  where 
thieves  break  in  and  steal.  But  lay  up  your  treas- 
ure in  the  Spiritual  Realm,  where  there  is  neither 
moth,  nor  rust,  and  where  thieves  never  enter; 
for  where  your  treasure  is,  there  your  heart  will 
be  also. 

**The  lamp  of  the  body  is  the  eye;  if  therefore 
your  eyes  are  clear,  your  body  will  be  full  of 
light.  But  if  your  eyes  are  blinded,  your  whole 
body  will  be  full  of  darkness.  If  therefore  the 
inner  light  that  Sovereign  Love  has  given  to  en- 
lighten you  be  obscured,  how  great  is  the  dark- 
ness within  you. 

Luke  II :  34-36. 


—  93  — 


♦  ♦IVfO  servant  can  serve  two  masters  at  the 
same  time.  Either  he  will  hate  one  and 
love  the  other,  or  he  will  stick  to  one  and  avoid 
the  other.  Neither  can  you  be  loyal  to  Sovereign 
Love  and  be  a  slave  to  the  riches  of  this  world, 
at  the  same  time.  You  must  choose  one  or  the 
other. 

*'If  you  choose  to  be  loyal  to  Sovereign  Love, 
you  need  have  no  anxiety  for  your  life,  as  to 
what  you  will  eat  or  drink,  or  for  your  body,  as 
to  how  it  will  be  clothed.  Your  Father  in  the 
Spiritual  Realm  knows  that  these  things  are  need- 
ful, and  by  being  anxious  you  can  not  add  a 
single  day  to  your  life.  If  you  are  not  able  to  do 
that  which  is  least,  why  be  anxious  concerning 
the  rest? 

"Is  not  life  more  than  food,  and  the  body  than 

raiment?    Look  at  the  birds  of  the  air,  they  do 

not  sow,  or  reap,  or  gather  into  barns ;  but  your 

Father  feeds  them.    Are  not  you  of  much  greater 

value  than  they? 

—  94  — 


"And  why  should  you  be  anxious  about  cloth- 
ing? Consider  the  lilies  -of  the  field,  see  how 
beautiful  they  are.  They  do  not  toil,  neither  do 
they  spin,  and  yet  Solomon  in  all  his  glory  was 
not  arrayed  like  one  of  these. 

"If  Sovereign  Love  clothes  the  grass  of  the 
field,  which  is  only  for  a  day  and  then  withers 
away,  will  he  not  much  more  clothe  you?  Oh 
men  I    How  little  you  trust  him. 

"No,  do  not  be  anxious  about  what  you  will 
eat,  or  drink,  or  how  you  will  be  clothed.  These 
are  the  things  that  worldly  people  give  all  their 
thought  and  time  a-seeking.  But  as  for  you,  my 
disciples,  seek  first  Sovereign  Love's  Spiritual 
Realm  and  its  Law  of  Love,  and  all  these  neces- 
sary things  will  be  forthcoming.  I  repeat  it,  do 
not  be  anxious  for  the  morrow,  for  the  mor- 
row will  take  care  of  itself.  Today's  troubles  are 
quite  enough  for  today. 

"I  repeat  it,  then,  do  not  be  anxious  for  the 

morrow,  for  the  m^orrow  will  take  care  of  itself. 

Today's  troubles  are  quite  enough  for  today. 

—  95  -^ 


^♦JQO  not  be  censorious  and  then  others  will 
will  not  criticise  you.  For  the  standard 
you  demand  of  others  will  be  the  one  they  will 
use  to  judge  you.  Do  not  condemn  another  and 
then  you  will  not  be  condemned.  If  some  one  is 
in  your  power,  let  him  go  freely,  and  then,  when 
you  are  in  a  tight  place,  you  will  be  released. 

''It  is  more  blessed  to  give  than  to  receive.  If 
you  are  generous,  others  will  be  generous  to  you. 
They  will  return  you  good  measure,  pressed 
down,  shaken  together,  and  running  over,  and 
they  will  fairly  force  it  into  your  lap. 

"But  do  not  offer  that  which  is  sacred  to  dogs, 
or  throw  your  precious  pearls  before  swine,  for 
they  will  only  trample  them  under  foot  and  then 
turn  and  attack  you. 

"Therefore  whatever  you  would  that  men 
should  do  to  you,  even  so  do  to  them,  for  this  is 
the  teaching  of  the  Law  and  the  Prophets. 

"Why  do  you  notice  the  speck  in  your  broth- 
er's eye  and  ignore  a  larger  one  in  your  own? 

Acts  20:  35. 

—  96  — 


Why  are  you  so  eager  to  help  your  brother  get 
rid  of  his  defect,  while  you  have  a  larger  one 
yourself?  You  are  a  hypocrite  if  you  do  that. 
First  get  rid  of  the  serious  something  in  your 
own  vision,  and  then  you  can  see  clearly  enough 
to  help  your  brother. 

"Can  the  blind  guide  the  blind  ?  Will  they  not 
both  fall  into  the  ditch  ?  The  student  is  not  wis- 
er than  his  teacher,  but  he  may  hope  sometime  to 
be  like  him. 


♦^^UPPOSING  that  one  of  you  has  a  friend 
and  you  go  to  him  at  midnight  and  say, 
'A  friend  of  mine  on  a  journey  has  come  to  me, 
and  I  have  no  food  to  offer  him.  Will  you  loan 
me  three  loaves  of  bread?'  The  one  within  will 
naturally  answer,  'Do  not  trouble  me  now.  The 
children  and  family  are  all  in  bed  and  the  door 
is  locked.  I  can  not  get  up  and  get  them  for  you.' 
But  you  persist  in  asking  for  the  bread,  and  final- 
Luke  1 1 :  5-8. 

—  97  — 


ly  he  gets  up  and  gets  it  for  you.  He  would  not 
do  it  just  because  you  are  his  friend;  but  because 
of  your  importunity,  he  gets  up  and  gives  you  all 
that  you  want. 

"Ask  and  it  will  be  given  you;  seek  and  you 
will  find;  knock  and  it  will  be  opened  to  you. 
For  every  one  that  asks,  receives,  and  he  that 
seeks,  finds,  and  to  him  that  knocks,  it  will  be 
opened. 

"What  man  is  there  of  you  who  hears  his  son 
ask  for  bread,  that  will  give  him  a  stone?  Or  if 
he  ask  for  an  egg,  will  give  him  a  scorpion?  If 
then  you  who  are  finite  know  how  to  give  good 
gifts  to  your  children,  how  much  more  will  your 
Father,  who  is  Sovereign  of  an  infinite  Realm, 
give  good  gifts  to  them  that  ask  him.  And  the 
highest  desire  that  a  human  being  can  cherish,  is 
that  which  the  Father  is  most  willing  to  give, 
even  Love  Vitality. 

"The  gate  is  wide  and  the  way  is  broad  that 
leads  to  ruin,  and  there  are  many  that  enter  it. 

But  the  gate  is  narrow  and  the  way  is  contracted 

—  98  — 


that  leads  to  Life,  and  those  that  find  it  are  few. 
But  you,  my  disciples,  must  try  very  earnestly  to 
find  and  enter  the  narrow  gate  that  leads  to  the 
higher  Life. 

"Be  constantly  on  your  guard  against  false 
teachers,  which  often  come  disguised  as  sheep, 
but  inwardly  are  ravenous  wolves.  You  can  tell 
them  by  their  fruit.  Men  do  not  gather  grapes 
from  thorn  bushes,  or  figs  from  thistles.  A  good 
tree  will  bear  good  fruit,  a  poisonous  tree  will 
bear  poisonous  fruit.  The  opposite  is  never  true. 
That  is  why  men  chop  down  and  destroy  poor 
trees,  and  they  can  always  detect  them  by  their 
fruit.  A  good  man,  out  of  the  store  of  good 
things  in  his  heart,  will  bring  forth  that  which  is 
good.  An  evil  man  has  a  store  of  evil  things  in 
his  heart  and  can  only  bring  forth  evil  things.  It 
is  out  of  the  abundance  of  the  subconscious  de- 
sires that  the  mouth  speaks.  A  man  can  never 
afford  to  speak  carelessly,  for  it  is  these  heedless 
words  that  most  clearly  reveal  a  man^s  uncon- 


Matthew  12:  33-37. 

—  99  — 


scious,  and  therefore  habitual,  thinking;  and  it 
is  for  these  that  he  will  be  called  to  account  in 
the  day  of  judgment.  For  by  his  words  he  will 
be  justified  and  by  his  words  he  will  be  con- 
demned. 


^^IV'OT  every  one  that  says  to  me,  'Lord, 
Lord/  will  enter  the  Spiritual  Realm.  It 
is  only  those  that  do  the  will  of  my  Father  who  is 
Sovereign  of  the  Spiritual  Realm,  that  will  suc- 
ceed in  entering. 

"Many  will  say  to  me  in  that  day,  Xord,  Lord, 
did  we  not  teach  in  thy  name  ?  and  by  your  name 
cast  out  demons,  and  do  many  wonderful  works  ?' 
Then  will  I  be  obliged  to  tell  them  plainly,  I  nev- 
er knew  you.  You  have  been  vsrorkers  of  wick- 
edness ;  you  must  go  away. 

*'The  one  w^ho  listens  to  these  teachings  of  mine 

and  conforms  his  life  to  them,  is  Hke  a  wise  man 

who  builds  his  house  on  a  rock  foundation.    The 

rains  descend,  the  floods  come,  and  the  winds 
—  100  — 


blow  and  beat  against  the  house;  but  it  will  not 
fall,  for  it  is  founded  on  a  rock. 

"On  the  contrary,  the  one  who  hears  these 
teachings  and  does  not  do  them,  is  like  a  foolish 
man  who  builds  his  house  on  the  sand  with  no 
foundation.  The  rains  descend,  the  floods  come, 
and  the  winds  beat  against  that  house  and,  of 
course,  it  falls  and  the  ruin  is  complete." 


Jl^ATER  on  Jesus  came  down  from  the  moun- 
tains and  returned  to  Capernaum.  A  Ro- 
man soldier  had  heard  about  Jesus  and  had  sent 
to  the  elders  of  the  Jews,  asking  them  to  inter- 
cede with  Jesus  for  a  favorite  servant  that  was 
paralyzed  and  at  the  point  of  death.  The  elders 
came  to  Jesus  and  urged  him  to  help.  They  said 
that  the  Centurion  was  very  friendly  to  the  Jews 
and  had  built  them  a  synagogue.  Jesus  was  will- 
ing to  go  and  they  had  almost  reached  the  house 
when  the  Centurion  came  to  meet  him  and  said, 


Matthew  8:  5-13;  Luke  7:  i-io. 
—  101  — 


"Lord,  do  not  trouble  to  come  further,  for  I  am 
not  worthy  that  you  should  enter  my  house.  I  did 
not  even  think  myself  worthy  of  coming  into  your 
presence.  You  have  but  to  say  the  word  and  my 
servant  will  be  healed.  For  I,  like  you,  am  a  man 
of  authority,  having  under  me  soldiers.  I  say 
to  that  one,  go,  and  he  obeys.  I  say  to  this  one, 
come,  and  he  comes,  and  to  this  servant,  do  this, 
and  it  is  done." 

When  Jesus  heard  this  it  set  him  thinking.  He 
turned  to  the  multitude  that  had  followed  them 
and  said :  "I  have  never  before  seen  such  perfect 
faith  as  this,  no  not  in  all  Israel.  There  are  many 
that  shall  come  from  the  East  and  the  West  and 
shall  sit  down  with  Abraham,  Isaac,  and  Jacob 
in  the  Spiritual  Realm,  while  those  that  should 
have  been  the  natural  sons  of  the  Kingdom,  shall 
be  left  out  in  utter  darkness." 

Jesus  turned  to  the  Centurion  and  said,  "You 

may  return  now,  because  you  have   faith  your 

prayer  is  granted."     When  he  returned  to  the 

house  he  found  his  servant  well. 
—  102  — 


lyrOT  long  after  this  he  went  to  a  town  called 
Nain.  His  disciples  were  with  him  and  a 
multitude  were  following.  As  they  drew  near 
to  the  gate  of  the  town  they  met  a  crowd  fol- 
lowing the  funeral  procession  of  an  only  son  of  a 
widowed  mother. 

When  Jesus  saw  her  his  heart  was  filled  with 
pity  and  he  said  to  her,  '*Do  not  weep  any  more." 
He  went  to  the  coffin  and  placing  his  hand  on  it, 
while  the  bearers  stood  still,  he  said,  '*My  boy,  I 
am  speaking  to  you.  Rise  up."  At  once  he  that 
was  dead  sat  up  and  began  to  speak,  and  Jesus 
led  him  to  his  mother. 

Every  one  was  dumbfounded  for  a  moment 
and  then  all  began  to  praise  Sovereign  Love. 
Some  said,  "A  great  prophet  is  among  us."  Oth- 
ers said,  "God  is  visiting  his  people."  The  report 
that  Jesus  had  actually  raised  the  dead  to  life, 
spread  through  all  Judea. 

Luke  7:  11-17. 


103 


^|j|]tEANWHILE  John  the  Baptist  had  incur- 
red the  anger  of  Herod,  the  king,  by  de- 
nouncing the  marriage  of  the  king  to  his  brother 
PhiHp's  wife,  which  was  contrary  to  law.  Herod 
would  have  put  John  to  death  at  once  if  he  had 
not  feared  the  people,  for  they  believed  John  to 
be  a  prophet.  Instead,  he  had  him  bound  and 
shut  up  in  prison. 

While  John  was  in  prison  the  reports  of  the 
wonderful  things  that  Jesus  was  doing,  came  to 
him,  but  in  spite  of  them,  doubts  crept  into  his 
mind.  If  Jesus,  his  own  relative  and  the  one  he 
had  baptized,  was  really  the  Messiah,  would  he 
leave  him  to  suffer  in  prison?  John  called  two 
of  his  disciples  and  sent  them  to  Jesus.  When 
the  men  were  come  to  him  they  said,  "John  the 
Baptist  has  sent  us  to  you  to  ask  if  you  are  really 
the  Messiah,  or  are  we  to  look  for  another?" 

Jesus  did  not  reply  to  their  question  at  oncC; 
but  asked  them  to  stay  by  him  for  a  little  and 
while  they  were  with  him  he  cured  many  people 


Matthew  ii :  2-27;  Luke  7:  18-35;  10:  12-15,  21-24. 
—  104  — 


of  diseases,  plague,  and  evil  spirits,  and  to  those 
who  were  blind  he  gave  sight. 

Then  Jesus  said  to  John's  disciples,  "Now  re- 
turn to  John  and  tell  him  about  the  things  that 
you  have  seen  and  heard.  Tell  him  that  you  saw 
the  blind  receive  their  sight,  the  lame  walk,  lep- 
ers cleansed,  the  deaf  hear,  and  even  the  dead 
brought  to  life.  Tell  him  that  all  the  time  the 
Good  News  was  being  proclaimed  to  the  poor, 
and  tell  him  this,  also,  'Blessed  is  the  man  who 
finds  no  occasion  for  stumbling  in  me.'  " 

After  the  messengers  of  John  were  gone, 
Jesus  spoke  to  the  multitude  about  him,  saying, 
"What  did  you  go  into  the  wilderness  to  see?  A 
reed  shaken  in  the  wind  ?  Did  you  expect  to  see 
a  man  clothed  in  fine  garments?  Not  at  all. 
Those  that  are  richly  dressed  and  fare  luxurious- 
ly live  in  king's  palaces,  not  in  the  wilderness. 
But  what  did  you  go  out  to  see  ?  A  prophet  ?  I 
tell  you,  yes,  and  more  than  a  prophet,  for  he 

was  the  one  of  whom  it  was  written. 
—  105  — 


^Behold,  I  send  my  messenger  before  my  face. 
He  shall  prepare  the  zvay  before  me.' 

"Indeed,  in  all  the  realm  of  nature,  there  has 
been  born  of  woman  none  greater  than  John; 
and  yet  he  that  is  little  in  the  Spiritual  Realm  is 
greater  than  John.  You  remember  John's  mes- 
sage, 'Repent,  for  the  Spiritual  Realm  is  at  hand/ 
Why  do  you  refuse  to  understand  the  meaning 
of  his  message?  From  the  beginning  of  John's 
preaching  unto  now,  the  nature  of  the  Spiritual 
Realm  is  misinterpreted  and  distorted.  Men  even 
vehemently  deny  it.  But  all  the  Law  and  the 
Prophets  even  down  to  the  time  of  John,  have 
foretold  it.  If  you  were  not  prejudiced  against 
John,  you  would  listen  to  his  message,  for  he  is 
the  Elijah  that  was  to  come.  If  you  have  ears 
to  hear,  use  them  now." 

When  the  crowd  heard  this  there  was  a  division 
of  sentiment.  Most  of  the  people  and  even  the 
publicans  having  been  baptized  by  John,  agreed 

to  it,  but  others,  the  Pharisees  and  the  scribes, 

—  106  -^ 


who  had  resisted  the  leadings  of  Sovereign  Love 
and  had  not  been  baptized,  dissented. 

Then  Jesus  continued,  "To  what  shall  I  liken 
the  men  of  this  generation?  They  are  like  chil- 
dren sitting  in  the  market  place  and  calling  to 
one  another,  'It's  not  fair.  We  have  made  musiic 
for  you  and  you  would  not  dance.  We  played 
that  we  were  hurt  and  you  did  not  weep.'  John 
the  Baptist  did  not  eat  bread  or  drink  wine  and 
}^u  said,  'He  was  a  demon.'  The  Son  of  man 
comes  eating  and  drinking,  and  you  say,  'Look, 
here  is  a  gluttonous  man  and  a  wine  bibber,  a 
friend  of  tax  collectors  and  sinners.'  Neverthe- 
less wisdom  will  be  justified  by  her  children." 


JTT  HEN  he  began  to  accuse  the  towns  in  which 

many  of  his  greatest  works  had  been  done, 

because  they  did  not  repent. 

"Woe  to  you,  Chorazin !  Woe  to  you,  Bethsai- 

da !    If  the  mighty  works  which  have  been  done 

in  you  had  been  done  in  Tyre  and  Sidon,  they 
--  107  — 


long  ago  would  have  repented  in  sackcloth  and 
ashes.  Listen.  It  shall  be  more  bearable  for 
Tyre  and  Sidon  in  the  day  of  judgment,  than  for 
you. 

"And  you,  Capernaum!  Do  you  think  that 
you  will  be  exalted  to  the  sky?  You  shall  be 
brought  down  to  hades.  If  the  mighty  works 
that  have  been  done  in  you  had  been  done  in 
Sodom,  it  would  have  remained  to  this  day.  I 
say  to  you,  tlmt  in  the  day  of  judgment  it  will  be 
more  bearable  for  Sodom  than  for  you." 

Jesus  prayed,  "I  thank  thee.  Oh  Father,  Lord 
of  the  Spiritual  Realm  and  of  the  natural  order, 
that  thou  didst  hide  these  things  from  the  wise 
and  learned  and  didst  reveal  them  unto  children. 
Yes,  Father,  I  thank  thee  that  this  has  been 
according  to  thy  good  pleasure." 

Then  Jesus  continued  speaking  to  the  people, 
"All  things  have  been  delivered  to  me  by  my 
Father.  No  one  comprehends  who  the  Son  is 
except  the  Father.  And  no  one  fully  understands 
the  Father,  but  the  Son  and  those  to  whom  the 
Son  is  pleased  to  reveal  him." 
—  108  — 


^jTESUS  having  accepted  an  invitation  to  dine 
from  one  of  the  Pharisees,  went  to  his 
house  and  reclined  at  the  table  with  him.  It  hap- 
pened that  there  was  in  this  town  a  woman  that 
was  living  a  sinful  Hfe.  Having  heard  that  Jesus 
was  dining  at  the  house  of  the  Pharisee,  she 
bought  an  alabaster  box  of  perfumed  oint- 
ment. She  entered  the  house  and,  kneeling  at 
Jesus'  feet  as  he  reclined  at  the  table,  she  began 
to  weep  and  her  tears  wet  his  feet.  She  dried 
them  with  her  hair,  and  kissed  them,  and  anoint- 
ed them  with  the  sweet  smelling  ointment. 

When  the  Pharisee,  who  had  invited  Jesus  to 
dinner,  saw  it  he  said  to  himself,  "If  this  man 
were  really  a  prophet  he  would  know  who  this 
woman  is  and  the  kind  of  a  life  she  is  living." 
Jesus  said  to  him,  ''Simon,  I  have  something  on 
my  heart  to  say  to  you."  Simon  answered, 
''Speak  freely.  Teacher." 

Then  Jesus  said,  "There  was  a  money  lender, 
who  had  two  creditors.     The  one  owed  him  a 

Luke  7:  36-50. 

—  109  — 


hundred  dollars  and  the  other  ten  dollars.  When 
he  became  convinced  that  they  could  not  repay 
the  loans,  he  forgave  them  both  their  debts. 
Which  of  them,  Simon,  do  you  think  will  be  the 
more  grateful?"  Simon  rephed,  *'I  suppose  it 
will  be  the  one  for  whom  he  forgave  the  larger 
amount." 

Jesus  said,  "You  are  quite  right."  Turning  to 
the  woman,  but  still  speaking  to  Simon,  he  con- 
tinued, "Do  you  see  this  woman  ?  When  I  enter- 
ed your  house  you  did  not  offer  me  the  customary 
water  to  bathe  my  feet,  but  she  has  moistened 
my  feet  with  her  tears  and  dried  them  with  her 
hair.  You  gave  me  no  kiss  of  welcome,  but  she 
has  not  ceased  to  kiss  my  feet.  You  did  not  an- 
oint my  head  with  oil,  as  you  would  have  done 
if  I  had  been  an  honored  guest,  but  she  anointed 
my  feet  with  costly  ointment.  She  loved  much; 
therefore  her  sins  which  are  many,  are  forgiven." 

They  that  sat  at  dinner  said  within  themselves, 

"Who  is  this  that  even  presumes  to  forgive  sins?" 
—  110  — 


Then  speaking  to  the  woman,  Jesus  said:  ''Your 
sins  are  forgiven  for  your  faith  has  saved  you. 
Go  in  peace." 


^lESUS  continued  to  go  about  through  the 
towns  and  the  villages  proclaiming  the 
Good  News  of  the  Spiritual  Realm. 

The  multitude  pressed  upon  them  so  that  they 
often  had  trouble  even  to  eat.  At  one  time  when 
the  words  of  Jesus  had  been  especially  forceful 
and  had  angered  some,  his  friends  sought  to 
restrain  him,  saying  to  themselves,  'He  is  cer- 
tainly beside  himself.' 

The  twelve  disciples  went  about  with  him  and 
many  women  cared  for  them  and  supplied  their 
wants.  There  was  Mary  that  was  called  the  Mag- 
dalene from  whom  seven  demons  had  gone  out, 
and  Joanna  the  wife  of  Chuza  who  was  steward 
to  King  Herod,  and  Susanna,  and  others. 


Luke  8:  1-3.        Mark  3:  20-21. 
—  Ill  — 


At  one  time  while  Jesus  was  in  a  house  speak- 
ing to  a  crowd  of  people,  his  mother  and  brothers 
stood  outside  seeking  an  opportunity  to  speak 
with  him.  They  told  Jesus  of  it  and  he  said, 
"And  who  is  my  mother  and  who  are  my  broth- 
ers?" Then  pointing  to  his  disciples  he  said, 
''These  are  my  mother  and  my  brothers.  For 
whoever  will  listen  to,  and  do  the  will  of  my 
Father  in  the  Spiritual  Realm,  the  same  is  my 
brother  and  sister  and  mother." 


0\  T  another  time  Jesus  was  by  the  seaside  and, 

as  the  crowd  was  so  great  as  to  press  on 

him,  he  went  into  a  boat  and  the  people  stood  on 

the  beach  while  he  taught  them  many  things  in 

parables. 

"A  farmer  went  out  to  sow  his  seed  and,  as  he 
scattered  it,  some  fell  by  the  roadside  and  were 


Matthew  12:  46-50;  Mark  3:  31-35;  Luke  8:  19-21. 

Matthew    13:  1-53;  Mark  4:  1-34;  Luke  8:  4-18. 
—  112  — 


trodden  under  foot,  or  the  birds  picked  them  up. 
Some  fell  on  rocky  places,  where  there  was  not 
much  soil  or  moisture.  They  quickly  sprouted, 
but  because  their  roots  did  not  sink  deep  enough, 
the  sun  soon  scorched  them  and  they  withered 
away.  Other  seed  fell  among  thorns  and  the 
thorns  grew  and  choked  them.  But  others  fell 
in  good  ground,  growing  and  increasing  and 
yielding  fruit,  some  a  hundred  fold,  some  sixty 
fold  and  some  thirty  fold.  He  that  has  ears  to 
hear  let  him  profit  by  what  he  has  heard." 

Later  in  the  day  when  he  was  alone  with  his 

disciples  and  a  few  friends,  they  asked  him  why 

he  taught  in  parables.    His  reply  was,    "You  are 

ready  to  understand  and  appreciate  the  mysteries 

of  the  Spiritual  Realm,  but  many  are  not  yet 

ready.     Whoever  has  a  disposition  to  learn,  is 

ready  for  a  further  revelation  and  it  will  come  in 

abundance;  but  they  who  understand  little  and 

have  no  disposition  to  learn,  are  easily  confused 

and  they  lose  the  little  they  have. 
—  113  — 


''That  is  why  I  speak  in  parables,  so  that  all 
may  see  and  hear.  Those  that  are  ready  will 
profit,  but  those  that  are  not  ready  will  see  but 
not  perceive,  will  hear  but  not  appreciate.  You 
are  to  be  congratulated  that  you  have  eyes  that  see 
and  ears  that  hear,  for  many  prophets  and  good 
men  of  old  have  earnestly  desired  to  see  and  to 
hear  the  things  that  you  are  now  seeing  and  hear- 
ing, but  were  disappointed." 

One  of  the  disciples  asked  him  to  explain  the 
parable  of  the  sower  to  them.  Jesus  said,  ''Do 
you  not  understand  even  this  parable  ?  How  will 
you  understand  others?  Listen,  and  I  will  ex- 
plain this  one. 

"When  one  hears  the  Good  News  of  the  Spir- 
itual Realm,  but  does  not  understand  and  value  it, 
then  the  wicked  one  comes  in  and  snatches  away 
the  seed-thought  that  has  been  sown  in  his  hard 
heart.    This  is  the  seed  that  falls  by  the  wayside. 

"Some  hear  the  Good  News  with  joy,  but  it 

does  not  sink  very  deep  into  their  stony  hearts.  It 

endures   for  a  time,  but  when  persecution  and 
—  114  — 


testing  come  because  of  it,  they  quickly  falter. 
This  is  the  seed  that  falls  on  rocky  places. 

"Then  there  are  those  that  hear  the  Good  News 
and  welcome  it  after  a  fashion;  but  the  natural 
cares  of  life,  the  deceitfulness  of  riches,  the  de- 
sire for  other  things,  all  come  in  to  crowd  it  out. 
This  is  the  seed  that  falls  among  thorns. 

''But  the  seed  falls  in  good  ground  when  they 
that  hear  the  Good  News  appreciate  it  and  accept 
it  in  good  and  humble  hearts,  and  who  hold  it 
firmly  and  patiently  until  it  brings  forth  fruit  in 
their  lives." 


^r  HEN  Jesus  told  them  another  parable.   "The 

Spiritual  Realm  is  like  a  man  that  sowed 

good  seed  in  his  fields,  but  while  he  slept  his 

enemy  came  and  sowed  darnel  among  the  wheat 

and   then   disappeared.      When   the   wheat   was 

grown  the  darnel  appeared  also.     The  servants 

came  to  the  farmer  and  asked,  "Did  you  not  sow 
—  115  — 


good  seed?  Where  did  this  darnel  come  from?" 
He  answered,  "It  must  have  been  an  enemy  that 
did  it."  The  servants  asked  if  he  wanted  them  to 
pull  up  the  darnel,  but  the  farmer  replied,  "No,  I 
am  afraid  that  you  will  pull  up  the  wheat  also,  let 
both  grow  until  the  harvest.  Then  you  must  first 
separate  out  the  darnel  and  burn  it  and  after- 
ward gather  the  wheat  into  the  granary." 

"The  Spiritual  Realm  is  like  a  grain  field.  The 
farmer  scatters  the  seed  on  the  earth  and  then 
goes  to  rest,  but  night  and  day  the  seed  germi- 
nates and  grows  without  his  help.  Nature  brings 
forth  the  growth, — first  the  blade,  then  the  blos- 
som and  then  the  seed ;  but  when  the  grain  is  ripe 
then  the  farmer  uses  the  sickle,  because  the 
harvest  is  ready." 

"The  Spiritual  Realm  is  like  a  grain  of  mus- 
tard seed  which  a  man  planted  in  his  field.  It  is, 
as  you  know,  the  smallest  of  seeds,  but  when  it 
is  grown,  it  is  larger  'than  a  shrub,  as  big  as  a  tree, 
and  the  birds  of  the  air  rest  in  its  shelter." 

Luke  13:  18-21. 

—  116  — 


"The  Spiritual  Realm  is  like  a  little  cake  of 
yeast  which  a  woman  puts  in  a  great  mass  of 
dough  and  the  whole  is  leavened.  The  Spiritual 
Realm  is  like  a  treasure  hid  in  a  field.  The  man 
that  finds  it  goes  and  sells  all  that  he  has  to  buy 
the  field.  The  Spiritual  Realm  is  hke  a  merchant 
seeking  beautiful  pearls.  When  he  finds  a  per- 
fect gem,  he  sells  all  he  has  to  buy  it. 

**The  Spiritual  Realm  is  like  a  drag  net  that  is 
cast  into  the  sea.  When  it  is  filled  men  draw  it 
to  the  beach  and  save  the  good,  and  the  bad  are 
thrown  away.  So  shall  it  be  at  the  end  of  the 
age.  The  angels  will  separate  the  evil  from  the 
good.  There  will  be  weeping  and  vain  regrets, 
but  the  evil  will  be  utterly  destroyed." 

Jesus  continued  to  speak  in  parables  to  the  mul- 
titudes that  followed  him,  and  then  when  he  was 
alone  with  his  disciples  he  would  explain  them. 
The  one  about  the  good  seed  he  explained  as  fol- 
lows. "The  one  who  sows  the  good  seed  is  the 
Son  of  Man.    The  field  is  the  world.    The  good 

seed  are  those  who  have  been  vitalized  by  love 
—  117  — 


and  re-born  as  children  of  the  Spiritual  Realm. 
The  darnel  are  the  children  of  evil  and  the  enemy 
that  sowed  it  is  the  devil. 

"The  harvest  is  the  end  of  the  age  and  the 
reapers  are  angels.  Just  as  the  darnel  is  sepa- 
rated out  and  burnt,  so  the  evil  will  be  destroyed 
at  the  end  of  the  age.  The  Son  of  man  shall  send 
his  angels  and  they  shall  separate  out  everything 
that  causes  stumbling  and  those  that  live  wick- 
edly. There  will  be  weeping  and  vain  regrets, 
but  they  will  be  utterly  destroyed.  Then  will  the 
righteous  shine  forth  in  the  Spiritual  Realm  as 
the  sun.  He  that  has  ears  to  hear  let  him  ponder 
these  things. 

Jesus  asked  them  if  they  had  understood  all 
that  he  had  told  them  about  the  Spiritual  Realm 
and  they  answered  that  they  had.  Then  he  said 
to  them,  "You  are  now  going  forth  to  teach  others 
about  this  Spiritual  Realm.  If  you  are  wise  you 
will  select  from  your  store  of  wisdom  the  vital 
things,  whether  they  be  new  or  old." 

—  118  — 


/|P|  NE  evening  he  proposed  to  his  disciples  that 
they  take  a  boat  and  go  over  to  the  other 
side.  So  they  launched  a  boat  and  setting  sail 
left  the  multitude.  Jesus  was  very  tired  and  fell 
asleep  on  a  cushion  in  the  stern  of  the  boat. 

They  had  not  gone  very  far,  when  a  great 
storm  of  wind  arose  and  the  waves  beat  into  the 
boat,  until  it  was  in  danger  of  sinking.  Then  the 
disciples  in  alarm  woke  Jesus  and  said,  "Master, 
wake  up !  We  are  perishing."  Jesus  awoke  and 
said  to  them,  ''Oh,  you  of  little  faith !" 

Then  he  rebuked  the  winds  and  the  raging 
waves,  saying,  'Teace,  be  still !"  And  the  wind 
ceased  and  there  was  a  great  calm.  Turning  to 
the  disciples  he  said,  "Why  were  you  afraid? 
Have  you  still  no  faith  ?"  But  the  men  were  thor- 
oughly frightened  and  wonderingly  said  to  one 
another,  "Who  is  he,  that  even  the  wind  and  the 
waves  obey  him." 


Matthew  8 :  23-27 ;  Mark  4 :  35-41 ;  Luke  8 :  22-25. 


—  119 


Jtttt'  HEN  they  had  crossed  over  they  were  in 
the  country  of  the  Gadarenes.  They  had 
not  gone  far  when  they  were  met  by  a  maniac. 
He  was  very  violent  and  no  one  was  strong 
enough  to  hold  him.  Even  fetters  seemed  use- 
less, for  he  had  often  been  bound  with  ropes  and 
chains,  but  had  as  often  broken  loose.  Men  were 
afraid  to  venture  on  the  roads  in  his  vicinity  and 
all  the  time,  night  and  day,  he  was  wandering 
about  naked  in  the  tombs  and  the  mountains,  cry- 
ing out  and  cutting  himself  with  stones. 

When  he  saw  Jesus  from  a  distance  he  ran  and 
worshipped  him.  Crouching  at  his  feet  he  said, 
''What  have  I  to  do  with  you,  Jesus,  Son  of  the 
Most  High  God.  Have  you  come  to  torment  me 
before  my  time?"  Jesus  said,  "Come  forth,  you 
unclean  spirit."  "In  God's  name  do  not  torment 
me,"  shrieked  the  mad  man.  Jesus  quietly  asked 
him  his  name  and  he  replied,  "My  name  is  Legion, 
the  devils  in  me  are  so  many." 


Matthew  8:  28-34;  Mark  5:  1-20;  Luke  8:  26-39. 
—  120  — 


Then  he  urged  Jesus  not  to  send  the  devils  too 
far  away  and,  as  there  was  a  great  herd  of  swine 
feeding  near  by,  he  asked  that  they  might  enter 
them.  Jesus  gave  them  permission  and  immedi- 
ately they  came  out  of  the  man  and  entered  the 
swine,  which  rushed  down  the  mountain  side  and 
plunged  into  the  sea  and  were  drowned. 

The  men  who  were  watching  the  swine  fled  to 
a  neighboring  town  and  told  what  had  happened. 
The  townspeople  came  to  see  for  themselves  and 
found  the  man  who  had  been  a  raving  maniac  sit- 
ting by  Jesus,  clothed  and  in  his  right  mind. 
Those  that  had  seen  what  had  happened  told  all 
about  it  to  those  that  had  just  come.  The  Gada- 
renes  were  alarmed  and  all  asked  Jesus  to  leave 
their  region,  and  so  Jesus  and  his  disciples  return- 
ed to  their  boat.  Just  as  they  were  pushing  off  the 
man  who  had  been  cured,  urged  Jesus  to  let  him 
go  with  him;  but  Jesus  was  unwilling  and  told 
him  to  return  to  his  own  home  and  friends  and 

show  them  what  great  things  Sovereign  Love  had 
—  121  — 


done,  and  how  mercy  had  been  shown  toward 
him.  So  the  man  went  away  and  told  in  all  De- 
capolis  what  great  things  Jesus  had  done  for  him. 


yjSX  HEN  Jesus  had  crossed  over  and  come  into 
his  own  country  again  a  great  multitude 
welcomed  him,  for  they  had  been  waiting  for  his 
return. 

One  of  the  officers  of  the  synagogue  named 
Jairus  came  up  to  Jesus  and  prostrated  himself 
at  his  feet.  With  very  earnest  entreaties  he  urged 
Jesus  to  come  and  lay  his  hands  on  his  little 
daughter,  who  lay  at  the  point  of  death.  Jesus 
with  his  disciples  went  with  the  man,  and  a  great 
multitude  followed. 

While  they  were  moving  along  a  woman  who 
had  a  hemorrhage  came  up  behind  him  and  touch- 
ed the  border  of  his  garment.  She  had  suffered 
for  twelve  years,  had  consulted  many  physicians, 


Matthew  9:  18-26;  Mark  5:  21-43;  Luke  8:  40-56. 
—  122  — 


and  spent  all  that  she  had,  but  with  no  improve- 
ment. Having  heard  the  things  that  Jesus  had 
done,  she  pushed  her  way  into  the  crowd  about 
Jesus,  saying  to  herself,  "If  I  can  only  touch  the 
border  of  his  garment,  I  shall  be  healed." 

Immediately  the  issue  of  blood  ceased  and  she 
knew  that  she  was  healed.  Jesus  was  conscious 
that  some  one  had  touched  him  and  asked  who  it 
was.  Peter  said,  ''Master,  you  can  see  the  crowd. 
It  is  impossible  to  tell  who  touched  you."  Jesus 
said,  "Someone  has  touched  me  for  I  am  con- 
scious that  vitality  has  gone  from  me." 

When  the  woman  saw  that  she  could  not  re- 
main unnoticed,  she  came  forward  trembling  and, 
falHng  at  Jesus'  feet,  she  told  all  the  people  for 
what  cause  she  had  touched  him  and  how  she  had 
been  immediately  healed.  Jesus  said  to  her, 
^'Daughter,  it  is  your  faith  that  has  made  you 
whole.    You  may  go  now,  in  peace." 

While  he  was  speaking  a  messenger  from  the 

house  of  Jairus  met  them  and  reported  that  the 

little  girl  had  died  and  that  there  was  no  need  of 
—  123  — 


troubling  the  Master  any  more.  Jesus  overheard 
the  message  and  said  to  Jairus,  "Have  no  fear. 
If  you  keep  your  faith,  she  will  live." 

When  they  reached  the  house  there  was  a  great 
tumult  of  flute  players  and  many  were  weeping 
and  wailing.  Jesus  said  to  them,  "Why  do  you 
make  such  a  tumult  and  weep  ?  The  child  is  not 
dead,  she  is  only  sleeping."  But  they  ridiculed 
the  idea,  feeHng  sure  that  the  child  was  dead. 

Jesus  sent  them  all  out  and  permitted  no  one 
to  enter,  but  the  father  and  mother  with  Peter, 
James,  and  John.  They  went  into  the  room  where 
the  child  lay  and  Jesus  took  the  little  girl  by  the 
hand  and  said,  "Little  girl,  I  want  you  to  get  up." 
At  once  her  spirit  returned  and  she  arose  and 
walked  about  the  room  and  Jesus  told  them  to 
give  her  something  to  eat. 

Everyone  was  filled  with  amazement  beyond 
measure,  but,  in  spite  of  Jesus  commanding  them 
not  to  talk  about  it,  the  report  of  it  went  every- 
where. 

—  124  — 


A    S  Jesus  was  returning,  two  blind  men  fol- 
lowed him  crying  out,  "Have  mercy  on  us, 
Oh  Son  of  David."    He  went  into  a  house  but 
still  the  blind  men  followed  him. 

Jesus  said  to  them,  "Do  you  really  believe  that 
1  am  able  to  give  you  sight?"  "Yes,  Lord,  yes," 
they  cried.  Then  he  touched  their  eyes,  saying, 
"As  you  have  faith,  so  shall  it  be  done  to  you." 
At  once  their  eyes  were  opened.  Jesus  charged 
them  sternly  not  to  talk  with  others  about  it,  but 
they  went  forth  and  spread  the  knowledge  of  it 
everywhere. 

Returning  to  his  native  town  one  sabbath,  he 
taught  in  the  synagogue  and  many,  hearing  him, 
were  astonished.  They  questioned  each  other, 
saying,  "Where  does  this  man  get  his  wisdom 
and  the  power  to  do  these  mighty  works  ?  What 
does  it  all  mean?  Is  he  not  the  son  of  the  car- 
penter, is  not  his  mother  Mary,  whom  we  all 
know,  and  are  not  James  and  Joses  and  Judas  his 


Matthew  9 :  27-32. 

Matthew  13:  54-58;  Mark  6:  1-6. 
—  125  — 


brothers?     His  sisters,  are  they  not  here  with 
us?" 

The  very  familiarity  of  his  surroundings  caus- 
ed them  to  stumble  and  because  of  their  unbelief, 
he  could  do  no  mighty  works  among  them.  All 
he  could  do  was  to  lay  his  hands  on  a  few  sick 
and  heal  them ;  and  Jesus  wondered  at  their  per- 
sistent unbelief. 


A  S  Jesus  went  about  the  country  and  saw  the 
multitudes  of  those  that  were  sick  and  un- 
happy and  distressed,  just  like  a  flock  of  sheep 
without  a  shepherd,  his  heart  was  filled  with  pity. 
He  isaid  to  his  disciples,  *'The  harvest,  indeed, 
is  plenteous,  but  the  laborers  are  few.  You  must 
pray  the  Lord  of  the  harvest  to  send  forth  his 
reapers."  Then  taking  his  disciples  apart,  he 
gave  them  authority  over  demons,  to  cast  them 


Matthew   9:  36-11:  i;    Mark  6:  7-13;    Luke   9:  1-6; 
12:  1-12. 

—  126  — 


out,  and  power  to  heal  all  manner  of  sickness  and 
infirmity. 

He  said  to  them :  "I  am  going  to  send  you  forth 
two  by  two.  Do  not  associate  with  foreigners, 
or  go  into  the  towns  of  Samaria,  but  go  rather 
to  the  lost  sheep  of  Israel.  *'As  you  go  about, 
preach,  saying,  'The  Spiritual  Realm  is  close  at 
hand.'  Heal  the  sick,  raise  the  dead,  cleanse  the 
lepers,  cast  out  demons.  As  you  have  received 
without  pay,  give  as  freely.  Do  not  provide  a 
store  of  gold,  or  silver,  or  copper  in  your  purses. 
Do  not  take  a  handbag  for  your  journey,  do  not 
take  extra  coats,  or  shoes,  or  even  food,  for  the 
laborer  is  worthy  of  his  support. 

"When  you  go  into  a  town  or  village,  inquire 
for  the  house  of  some  good  man  and  make  it  your 
home  until  you  leave  the  place.  When  you  enter 
the  home  give  it  your  benediction.  If  it  is  a  wor- 
thy home,  your  blessing  will  be  appreciated.  If 
it  is  not  a  worthy  home,  you  will  be  conscious 
that  your  presence  is  not  welcome,  and  you  must 

go  elsewhere. 

—  127  — 


"If  any  one  refuses  to  receive  you,  or  to  listen 
to  your  message,  when  you  leave  the  house  or  the 
tov^^n,  do  not  denounce  them  or  get  angry.  It 
will  be  more  bearable  for  Sodom  and  Gomorrah 
than  for  that  place. 

"Listen !  I  am  sending  you  forth  as  sheep  in 
the  midst  of  wolves.  You  must  therefore  be 
wise  and  sagacious,  but  harmless  as  doves.  Be- 
ware of  men,  especially,  for  they  will  deHver  you 
to  the  Sanhedrin  and  scourge  you  in  the  syna- 
gogues. Yes,  you  will  be  brought  before  officials 
and  even  kings,  for  my  sake,  to  bear  witness  be- 
fore them  and  to  the  nations. 

"At  such  times  do  not  be  anxious  as  to  what 

or  how  you  shall  speak.    Remember  it  is  not  you 

that  speaks,  but  the  Love  Vitality  of  your  Father 

that  is  speaking  through  you.    Do  not  be  fearful ; 

it  will  be  given  you  in  that  hour,  what  you  shall 

speak.    What  I  tell  you  in  secret,  you  must  speak 

in  public,  and  what  you  hear  in  the  ear,  proclaim 

from  the  house  tops.     There  is  nothing  covered 

that  shall  not  be  revealed,  or  secret  that  shall  not 

be  known. 

—  128  — 


"A  scholar  can  not  be  more  privileged  than  his 
teacher,  or  a  servant  than  his  master.  If  they 
have  called  the  head  of  the  house  Beelzebub, 
much  more  quickly  will  they  call  those  of  his 
household.  But  do  not  be  afraid.  They  can  kill 
the  body,  but  they  can  not  kill  the  soul.  Rather 
be  in  awe  of  him  who  can  destroy  both  soul  and 
body. 

"Are  not  two  sparrows  sold  for  a  penny  ?  And 
yet  not  one  of  them  can  fall  to  the  earth  without 
the  knowledge  of  your  Father.  Why,  the  very 
hairs  of  your  hear  are  numbered.  Do  not  be 
afraid  therefore,  for  you  are  of  more  value  than 
many  sparrows.  Every  one  that  shall  confess  me 
before  men,  him  will  I  confess  before  my  Father 
who  is  in  the  Spiritual  Realm.  But  he  who  de- 
nies me  before  men,  him  will  I  also  deny  before 
my  Father. 

"Do  not  think  that  I  have  come  to  send  peace 

on  the  earth.     I  came  not  to  send  peace  but  a 

sword.     I  came  to  set  a  man  against  his  father, 

and  a  daughter  against  her  mother,  and  a  daugh- 
—  129  — 


ter-in-law  against  her  mother-in-law.  A  man's 
foes  shall  be  they  of  his  own  family.  He  that 
loves  father  and  mother  more  than  me,  is  not 
worthy  of  me ;  and  he  that  loves  son  or  daughter 
more  than  me,  is  not  worthy  of  me. 

He  that  is  unwilling  to  take  up  his  burden  and 
follow  me,  is  not  worthy  of  me.  He  that  cherish- 
es his  life  will  lose  it ;  but  he  that  forgets  his  life 
for  my  sake,  shall  find  it.  He  that  receives  you, 
receives  me ;  and  he  that  receives  me  receives  him 
that  sent  me. 

He  that  receives  a  prophet,  because  he  is  a 
prophet,  shall  receive  the  reward  of  a  prophet. 
He  that  receives  a  good  man  because  he  is  a  good 
man,  shall  receive  the  reward  of  a  good  man. 
Whoever,  because  he  is  a  disciple,  gives  even  a 
drink  of  cold  water  to  a  little  child,  he,  most  cer- 
tainly, will  receive  his  reward." 

When  Jesus  had  finished  speaking  they  went 

out  by  twos  into  all  the  villages,  telling  the  Good 

News,   casting   out   demons,   anointing   with   oil 

and  healing  the  sick. 

—  130  — 


||t|t  EANWHILE,  Herod  had  kept  John  the 
Baptist  in  prison,  but  sent  for  him  from 
time  to  time,  to  listen  to  his  words.  John's  words 
made  him  very  thoughtful  and  perplexed,  but  the 
king  heard  him  gladly  and  became  convinced  that 
John  was  a  righteous  and  a  devout  man,  and  con^ 
sequently  the  king  feared  him. 

Herod  gave  a  feast  on  his  birth-day  to  which 
he  invited  all  his  lords  and  high  military  officers 
and  the  chief  men  of  Galilee.  The  daughter  of 
Herodius  came  and  danced  before  them  and  so 
pleased  the  king  and  them  that  sat  at  the  feast 
with  him,  that  he  said  to  her,  "You  may  ask  of 
me  what  you  will  unto  half  my  kingdom  and  I 
will  give  it  to  you."  She  went  out  and  consulted 
her  mother.  Herodias  still  cherished  her  anger 
against  John,  because  of  his  rebuke  to  the  king 
on  her  account. 

She  said,  "Ask  the  king  for  the  head  of  John 
the  Baptist."  Quickly  the  daughter  returned  to 
the  presence  of  the  king  and  said,  "Sir,  I  choose 


Matthew  14:  1-12;  Mark  6:  14-29;  Luke  9:  7-9. 
—  131  — 


that  you  bring  to  me  at  once  the  head  of  John  the 
Baptist." 

The  king  was  bitterly  sorry,  but  for  his  oath's 
sake  and  out  of  respect  for  those  that  sat  at  the 
feast  with  him,  he  could  not  refuse  her.  He  sent 
a  soldier  of  his  guard  with  orders  to  bring  the 
head.  When  it  was  done,  it  was  given  to  the 
maiden  and  she  gave  it  to  her  mother. 

When  his  disciples  heard  of  it  they  took  away 
the  dead  body  and  laid  it  in  a  tomb  and  then  they 
went  and  told  Jesus. 


^|f  HE  twelve  began  to  return  and  to  tell  Jesus 
all  the  things  they  had  taught  and  done. 
There  were  many  coming  and  going  and  they 
hardly  had  time  to  eat,  so  Jesus  said  to  them, 
''Come  away  with  me  to  the  desert  where  we  can 
be  alone  and  you  can  rest."  So  they  withdrew  in 
a  boat  to  the  other  side  of  the  sea  to  a  desert 
place. 


Matthew  14:  13-23;   Mark  6:  30-46;  Luke  9:  10-17; 
John  6:  1-15. 

—  132  — 


When  the  multitude  learned  of  their  where- 
abouts they  followed  on  foot  out  of  all  the  towns. 
When  Jesus  saw  them  coming,  he  had  pity  for 
them,  because  they  seemed  so  friendless,  like 
sheep  without  a  shepherd,  and  there  were  many 
sick  among  them.  He  welcomed  them  all  and 
talked  with  them  about  the  Spiritual  Realm,  and 
such  as  were  sick  he  healed. 

He  said  to  them,  ''Come  unto  me  all  you  that 
labor  and  are  heavy  laden  and  I  will  refresh  you. 
Take  my  yoke  upon  you  and  learn  of  me,  for  I 
am  gentle  and  humble  of  heart,  and  you  shall  find 
rest  unto  your  souls,  for  my  yoke  is  easy  and  my 
burden  is  light." 

When  evening  drew  near  his  disciples  said  to 
him,  "This  is  a  desert  place  and  the  day  is  far 
spent.  Send  the  people  away  that  they  may  go 
into  the  villages  round  about  and  get  something 
to  eat  and  lodging  for  the  night." 

But  Jesus  said  to  them,  ''There  is  no  need  for 
them  to  go  away.    You  can  give  them  something 


Matthew  1 1 :  28-30. 

—  133  — 


to  eat."  Turning  to  Philip,  to  test  him,  for  he 
himself  knew  what  he  would  do,  he  said,  "Where 
shall  we  buy  bread  so  that  all  of  these  may  eat?" 
Philip  answered,  "Fifty  dollars  worth  of  bread 
would  not  be  enough  to  give  each  one  a  taste." 
Jesus  asked  them  how  many  loaves  they  had. 
Andrew  replied,  "There  is  a  lad  here  that  has  five 
barley  loaves  and  two  fish,  but  what  is  that  among 
so  many?" 

Jesus  said,  "Ask  the  people  to  sit  down  in 
groups." 

The  place  was  a  grassy  hillside  and  they  ar- 
ranged themselves  in  companies  and  ranks  of 
about  fifty  or  a  hundred,  to  the  number  of  about 
five  thousand.  Jesus  took  the  loaves  and  the  fish 
and  looking  up  offered  a  blessing  on  the  food  and 
then  divided  it  into  portions  and  gave  it  to  the 
disciples  and  they  passed  it  to  the  groups.  They 
all  ate  and  were  satisfied  and,  of  the  food  that 
was  left  over  and  the  broken  pieces,  they  gathered 

up  twelve  baskets. 

—  134  — 


When  the  multitude  began  to  reaHze  what  a 
marvel  this  was,  they  said,  "This  is  truly  the 
prophet  that  was  to  come."  Jesus  seeing  that 
they  had  it  in  their  hearts  to  take  him  by  force 
and  make  him  their  king,  persuaded  his  disciples 
to  take  a  boat  and  return  to  Bethsaida.  After 
they  were  gone  he  sent  the  multitude  away,  and 
he,  himself,  went  up  into  the  mountains  alone  to 
pray. 


/Tf  HE  disciples  were  well  out  on  the  sea  and 
the  night  had  settled  down.  A  contrary 
wind  had  sprung  up  so  that  they  were  tossed 
about  and  distressed  at  their  rowing.  Jesus 
knew  that  they  must  be  weary  and  in  danger  and 
so  he  came  to  them,  walking  on  the  water.  The 
disciples  saw  him  approaching  the  boat  and  at 
first  thought  it  was  a  ghost,  and  were  very  much 
alarmed  and  cried  out.  But  Jesus  spoke  to  them, 
saying,  "Do  not  be  afraid.    It  is  I,  have  courage." 


Matthew  14:  24-36;  Mark  6:  47-56;  John  6:  16-21. 
—  135  — 


Peter  said,  'Xord,  if  it  is  truly  you,  let  me 
come  to  you  on  the  water."  Jesus  told  him  to 
come,  and  Peter  went  down  from  the  boat  and 
started  to  walk  toward  Jesus.  But  seeing  the 
boisterous  waves  and  the  wind,  he  became  afraid 
and  began  to  sink,  crying  out,  "Lord,  save  me." 
Jesus  at  once  reached  out  his  hand  and  held  him 
up,  saying,  ''How  little  you  trust  me.  Why  did 
you  doubt?"  Then  they  received  them  into  the 
boat  and  at  once  the  wind  died  down  and  in  a 
little  while  they  came  to  where  they  were  going. 
While  they  were  still  in  the  boat  they  worshipped 
him,  saying,  *'It  is  true,  you  must  be  the  Son  of 
God."  And  yet  they  did  not  understand  the  full 
significance  of  it  all — his  power  to  supply  unlim- 
ited food,  his  ability  to  dominate  the  powers  of 
nature.  It  seemed  as  though  even  their  hearts 
were  hardened. 

They  landed  on  the  shores  of  Gennesaret  and 

were  quickly  recognized.     Word  was  sent  to  all 

the  region  about  and  a  crowd    soon    gathered, 
—  136  -- 


bringing  the  sick  on  beds,  anxious  to  be  healed, 
to  touch  even  the  border  of  his  garment ;  and  as 
many  as  did  so  were  immediately  healed. 


/|P|N  the  morrow  the  crowd  still  waited  about 
on  the  other  side  of  the  sea  for  Jesus  to 
appear.  They  knew  that  the  disciples  had  gone 
away  alone  in  one  of  the  only  two  boats  that  were 
available  and  one  of  them  was  still  there. 

After  a  time  they  became  convinced  that  Jesus 
had  gone  and,  other  boats  from  Tiberias  having 
come  in,  they  embarked  also  for  the  other  side, 
seeking  Jesus.  When  they  found  him  they  asked 
him  how  he  came  across. 

Jesus  replied  to  them,  saying,  ''Listen  to  me. 
You  seek  me  not  because  you  have  seen  miracles 
and  understand  their  significance,  but  because  you 
ate  of  the  food  when  you  were  hungry  and  were 
satisfied.  You  work  hard  for  the  food  that  per- 
ishes.   You  ought  to  work  just  as  hard  for  that 

John  6:  22-71. 

—  137  — 


which  sustains  the  timeless  Life,  which  the  Son 
of  man  can  give  you,  for  the  Father,  even  Sov- 
ereign Love,  has  empowered  him  to  do  it." 

*''What  must  we  do,"  they  asked,  ''that  we  too 
can  do  the  works  of  God?"  Jesus  repHed,  "You 
should  first  understand  in  what  the  work  of  Sov- 
ereign Love  consists.  This  is  the  work  of  Sov- 
ereign Love,  that  you  believe  and  trust  him  whom 
he  has  isent,  and  are  obedient  to  him." 

The  crowd  said:  "Show  us  some  proof  that 
you  really  are  sent  from  God.  Do  some  great 
miracle  that  we  may  see  and  be  convinced.  When 
our  Fathers  were  in  the  wilderness  they  had 
proof.  Manna  was  sent  to  them  out  of  the  sky 
and  they  ate  it  for  years." 

Jesus  said  to  them:  "Oh,  listen  to  what  I  tell 

you.     Moses  did  not  give  you  spiritual  food,  it 

is  my  Father  that  gives  you  the  true  bread  that 

comes  from  the  Spiritual  Realm.    The  bread  of 

Love  is  that  which  comes  out  of  the  Spiritual 

Realm  and  gives  a  higher  Life  to  the  world." 
—  138  — 


They  said,  "Lord,  give  us  that  kind  of  bread 
for  evermore.''  Jesus  said:  "I  am  this  bread  of 
the  higher  Life.  He  that  comes  to  me  shall  never 
hunger  and  he  that  trusts  me  shall  never  thirst. 
But  I  have  already  told  you,  that  although  you 
have  seen  me,  you  do  not  trust  me.  All  that  the 
Father  gives  to  me  will  respond  to  me,  and  him 
that  comes  to  me  I  will  never  desert. 

*'For  I  am  come  from  the  Spiritual  Realm,  not 
to  do  my  own  will,  but  to  do  the  will  of  him  that 
sent  me.  This  is  the  will  of  him  that  sent  me, 
that  of  all  that  he  has  given  me,  I  should  not  lose 
a  single  one,  but  should  vitalize  them  for  the  last 
day.  It  is  the  will  of  my  Father  that  every  one 
that  sees  the  Son  and  believes  in  him  and  is  trust- 
fully obedient  to  his  teachings,  shall  have  the 
timeless  Life  and  I  will  vitalize  him  for  the  last 
day." 

When  Jesus  said,  *I  am  come  from  the  Spirit- 
ual Realm,'  the  Jews  objected.  They  said,  "This 
is  Jesus,  the  son  of  Joseph,  whose  father  and 

mother  we  know.     How  can  he  claim  to  come 
—  139  — 


down  from  heaven  ?"  Jesus  said  to  them :  ''What 
is  the  use  of  murmuring  among  yourselves.  It 
is  written  in  the  Prophets,  'They  shall  all  he 
taught  of  God.'  No  one  comes  to  me  of  himself. 
He  can  only  come  when  the  Father  that  sent  me 
draws  him  and  then  I  will  vitalize  him  for  the 
last  day. 

Every  one  that  feels  the  drawing  of  the  Father 
and  responds  to  it,  comes  to  me.  Not  that  any 
one  has  actually  seen  the  Father,  except  he  that 
has  come  from  Sovereign  Love,  he  only  has  seen 
the  Father.  I  want  to  emphasize  this,  he  that 
believes  and  is  trustfully  obedient  has  the  time- 
less Life,  and  I  am  the  bread  of  that  Life. 

Your  fathers  ate  manna  in  the  wilderness  and 

are  dead.     The  bread,  about  which  I  am  telling 

you,  that  comes  from  the  Spiritual  Realm,  is  such 

that,  if  a  man  partakes  of  it,  he  shall  never  cease 

living.     I  am  that  living  bread  that  comes  from 

the  Spiritual  Realm.    The  sacrifice  of  my  mortal 

body,  which  I  am  giving  for  the  vitalization  of 

the  world,  is  the  bread  that  I  will  give." 
—  140  — 


JTT  HE  Jews  disputed  with  one  another  about 
his  words.  "How  can  this  man  give  us  his 
flesh  to  eat,"  they  said.  Jesus  repeated  his  words 
still  more  emphatically,  ''Except  you  eat  the  flesh 
of  the  Son  of  man  and  drink  his  blood  you  can 
not  have  Life  in  yourselves.  He  that  eats  my 
flesh  and  drinks  my  blood  has  the  timeless  Life 
and  I  will  vitalize  him  for  that  last  day.  For  my 
mortal  body  is  the  true  bread  and  my  blood  is  the 
true  drink.  He  that  eats  my  body  and  drinks  my 
blood  abides  in  me  and  I  abide  in  him.  As  the 
living  Father  sent  me  and  as  I  Live  because  of 
him,  so  he  that  eats  me,  he  shall  Live  also  because 
of  me. 

This  is  the  bread  that  comes  from  the  Spiritual 
Realm.  Those  of  old,  that  ate  the  manna,  died ; 
but  those  that  eat  this  bread  shall  never  die." 

These  things  were  said  in  the  synagogue 
at  Capernaum.  After  hearing  this  talk  many  of 
his  followers  felt  that  it  was  too  unnatural  to  be 
reasonable  or  to  be  accepted. 

Jesus  knew  that  even  his  disciples  were  dis- 
cussing it  and  so  he  said  to  them,  "Do  these 
—  141  — 


words  of  mine  trouble  you?  How  different  it 
would  be  if  you  could  see  the  Son  of  man  ascend- 
ing to  where  he  was  before.  Let  me  explain  my 
meaning  to  you.  You  will  remember  that  I  told 
you  that  the  reason  I  taught  in  parables  was,  that 
my  words  might  be  a  separating  test  between 
those  who  wanted  to  believe  and  those  whose  ears 
were  deadened  and  whose  hearts  were  hardened. 

''It  is  vitality  that  gives  life;  the  natural  flesh 
can  not  give  it.  The  vital  force  of  the  Spiritual 
Realm  is  Love  and  the  words  of  love  that  I  speak 
to  you,  they  are  vitality,  they  are  Life.  I  am 
the  incarnation  of  the  Father's  Love  Thought; 
he  that  gratefully  and  trustfully  receives  me  is 
eating  my  body  and  drinking  my  blood.  The 
Love  Thought  will  abide  in  him  and  will  be  the 
vitalizing  principle  and  the  nourishment  of  a 
higher  Life — ^^his  Life  in  the  Spiritual  Realm." 

Jesus  knew  all  the  time  who  believed  in  him 
and  who  would  betray  him  and  so  he  repeated 
his  words  again:  *'But  no  man  comes  to  me 
unless  he  is  lead  to  do  so  by  the  Father  and  Love 
Vitality." 

—  142  — 


t\  FTER  this,  many  of  his  disciples  went  away 
and  followed  him  no  more.  Jesus  said  to 
the  twelve,  "Will  you,  also,  leave  me?"  Peter 
answered,  ''Lord,  to  whom  can  we  go?  You 
alone  have  the  words  of  Eternal  Life.  We  be- 
lieve, we  are  certain,  that  you  are  the  Divine  One 
of  God." 

Jesus  replied,  "Have  I  not  chosen  you,  the 
twelve,  and  one  of  you  even,  will  prove  to  be  a 
devil."  (He  referred  to  Judas,  the  son  of  Simon 
Iscariot,  who  was  one  of  the  twelve  and  who  af- 
terward betrayed  him.) 


ijjLOME  of  the  Pharisees  that  had  come  from 
Jerusalem  observed  that  some  of  the  dis- 
ciples of  Jesus  ate  their  food  with  unwashed 
hands.  This  was  in  direct  violation  of  the  cere- 
monial law  of  the  Jews,  for  they  hold  in  accord- 
ance with  ancient  traditions,  that  before  eating, 


Matthew  15:  1-20;  Mark  7:  1-23. 
—  143  — 


the  hands  must  be  carefully  cleansed.  There  are 
many  other  rules  in  regard  to  cleanliness,  such  as 
the  necessity  of  bathing  after  returning  from  the 
market,  rinsing  all  cups,  jugs,  and  basins. 

The  Pharisees  and  the  scribes  asked  Jesus, 
therefore,  why  it  was  that  his  disciples  did  not 
observe  these  traditions  of  the  ancients.  Jesus 
replied:  "Why  do  you  transgress  the  command- 
ments of  Sovereign  Love,  in  trying  to  live  up  to 
•these  traditions?  It  was  such  hypocritical  con- 
duct that  Isaiah  rebuked,  when  he  wrote, 

'This  people  honor  me  zvith  their  lips, 

But  their  hearts  are  far  from  me. 

Jn  vain  do  they  zvorship  me,  zvhen  they  teach 

as  divine, 
The  commandments  of  men.' 

"Moses  said,  'Honor  thy  father  and  mother,' 

and  'He  that  speaketh  evil  of  father  and  mother 

must  he  put  to  death.'    But  you  have  a  traditional 

custom,  that  if  a  son  devotes  to  the  synagogue  his 

property  or  income  with  which  he  should  right- 
—  144  — 


fully  support  his  father  and  mother,  and  then  say 
to  them,  'My  property  is  all  given  to  the  Lord,' 
he  is  legally  relieved  from  all  responsibility  for 
their  further  support.  By  this  custom  you  cer- 
tainly reject  the  commandment  of  Sovereign 
Love,  that  you  may  keep  your  tradition.  This  is 
only  one  instance  of  many." 


/TT  HEN  turning  to  the  multitude  that  was  stand- 
ing by,  he  said,  "Listen  to  this  for  I  want 
you  to  understand  it  clearly.  These  Pharisees 
object  to  our  eating  with  unwashed  hands  be- 
cause of  the  defilement.  It  is  not  that  which  goes 
into  a  man's  mouth  that  defiles  him,  but  that 
which  comes  out.'' 

The  disciples  came  to  him  privately  and  asked 
if  he  knew  that  the  Pharisees  were  seriously  of- 
fended? He  answered  them  by  saying,  "Every 
plant  that  my  Father  in  the  Spiritual  Realm  does 

not  plant  shall  be  rooted  up.    Pay  no  attention  to 
—  145  — 


them.  They  are  blind  guides  and  you  know  that 
if  the  blind  try  to  guide  the  blind,  they  both  fall 
into  the  gutter." 

After  they  were  alone  in  the  house,  Peter  ask- 
ed him  to  explain  the  parable  to  them.  Jesus  said 
to  them,  sadly,  "Are  you,  too,  without  penetra- 
tion ?  That  which  goes  into  a  man's  mouth  does 
not  go  into  his  soul,  but  goes  into  the  stomach 
and  goes  out  through  the  intestines."  From  this 
they  inferred  that  Jesus  held  that  there  was  no 
such  thing  as  food  that  was  ceremonially  unclean. 

Jesus  continued,  "That  which  comes  out  of  a 
man,  is  what  defiles  him.  Evil  thoughts,  sexual 
vice,  theft,  murder,  adultery,  coveting,  cruelty, 
deceit,  licentiousness,  envy,  slander,  pride,  reck- 
less folly, — all  these  wicked  things  come  from 
within  a  man's  heart  and  they  are  the  things  that 
really  defile  him." 


—  146  — 


CHAPTER  SIX. 

Premonitions  op  the  Crisis. 

'TIESUS  then  left  that  part  of  the  country  and 
went  to  the  north,  toward  the  borders  of 
Tyre  and  Sidon. 

He  went  into  a  house  and  tried  to  remain  un- 
known, but  was  not  successful.  It  was  not  long 
before  a  Canaanitish  woman  came  crying  out 
and  begging  him  to  have  mercy  on  her.  '*Oh 
Lord,  Son  of  David,"  she  cried,  "My  daughter 
is  possessed  of  a  devil.  Come  and  heal  her." 
At  first  Jesus  paid  no  attention  to  her,  but  as 
she  continued  to  cry  out,  his  disciples  asked 
him  to  send  her  away.  Jesus  said  to  them,  "Yes, 
I  know  that  my  mission  is  to  the  lost  sheep  of  the 
house  of  Israel,  but " 


Matthew  15:  21-28;  Mark  7:  24-30. 
—  147  — 


The  woman  kneeled  at  his  feet  and  worshipped 
him,  saying,  ''Lord,  please  help  me."  Still  Jesus 
hesitated,  the  race  feeling  was  strong,  even  in 
him,  and  he  said,  ''It  is  hardly  proper  to  take  the 
children's  food  and  give  it  to  foreigners."  "Yes, 
Lord,"  she  said,  "but  even  dogs  are  permitted  to 
eat  the  crumbs  that  fall  from  their  master's  ta- 
ble." 

"Oh  woman,  great  is  your  faith.  Because  of 
your  reply,  it  shall  be  done  as  you  wish.  You 
may  go  now,  for  the  devil  is  gone  out  of  your 
daughter."  She  returned  at  once  to  her  home 
and  found  the  child  lying  on  a  bed  and  healed. 

Jesus  did  not  stay  long  in  the  North,  but  soon 
returned  to  the  neighborhood  of  the  sea  of  Galilee 
and  went  up  into  the  mountains.  There  the  mul- 
titude followed  him,  bringing  the  lame,  the  blind, 
the  dumb  and  diseased  and,  laying  them  at  his 
feet,  begged  him  to  heal  them.  Jesus  did  so,  and 
the  crowds  were  amazed  at  his  power  and  glori- 
fied the  God  of  Israel. 


Matthew  15:  29-31;  Mark  7:  31-37- 
—  148  — 


Among  those  that  were  brought  was  one  who 
was  deaf  and  had  an  impediment  in  his  speech. 
Jesus  was  urged  to  lay  his  hands  on  him ;  so  he 
took  him  one  side  where  they  would  be  alone. 
He  placed  his  finger  in  the  man's  ear,  moistened 
his  tongue  with  saliva  and,  looking  up  to  the  sky, 
he  sighed  and  said,  "Be  open."  At  once  the  man's 
tongue  was  free  and  his  ears  were  open  and  he 
could  speak  plainly. 

He  told  the  people  not  to  talk  about  it,  but  the 
more  he  urged  them,  the  more  they  published  it 
abroad.  They  said,  "Every  thing  that  he  under- 
takes he  does  well.  He  makes  even  the  deaf  to 
hear  and  the  dumb  to  speak." 


'3|ESUS  staid  in  the  mountains  some  days,  and 
one  day  he  said  to  his  disciples,  "Some  of 
these  people  have  been  here  three  days  and  have 
had  nothing  to  eat.  Some  of  them  have  come  a 
long  distance  and  if  I   send  them  away  empty 


Matthew  15:  32-38;  Mark  8:  1-9. 
—  149  — 


they  will  faint  by  the  way.  I  am  very  sorry  for 
them.    What  shall  we  do  ?" 

The  disciples  said,  "There  is  no  place  up  here 
in  the  mountains  that  we  can  buy  bread  enough  to 
satisfy  them  all."  Jesus  asked  them,  "How  many 
loaves  have  you  ?"  They  replied,  "We  have  only 
seven  loaves  and  a  few  small  fish."  Then  Jesus 
told  the  multitude  to  be  seated  on  the  ground. 
He  took  the  bread  and  the  fish  and,  after  giving 
thanks,  he  broke  them  into  portions  and  gave  to 
his  disciples,  who  in  turn  passed  them  to  the  peo- 
ple. 

They  all  ate  and  were  satisfied,  and  they  took 
up  of  the  fragments  that  remained,  seven  baskets. 
Those  that  partook  were  about  four  thousand, 
counting  men,  women  and  children.  Then  he 
sent  the  people  away  and  he  and  his  disciples 
came  down  from  the  mountains  and,  entering  a 
boat,  crossed  over  into  Dalmanutha. 


Matthew  15:  39-16:  12;   Mark  8:  10-21. 


—  150  — 


1 1  HE  Pharisees  and  the   Sadducees   came  to 


^ 


him  there  and  tried  to  entangle  him  with 
questions  and  temptations.  They  repeatedly 
asked  him  to  show  them  some  sign  from 
heaven.  Jesus  was  deeply  troubled  in  spir- 
it because  of  their  attitude  toward  him.  He  ex- 
claimed, "Oh,  why  does  this  evil  generation  so 
persistently  seek  for  a  sign?  But  no  sign  can  be 
given  them,  except  the  warning  of  the  prophet 
Jonah."  Then  Jesus  and  his  disciples,  in  order 
to  get  away,  again  took  a  boat  and  crossed  over 
to  the  other  side. 

In  their  haste  to  get  away,  they  forgot  to  take 
bread  and  when  Jesus,  whose  mind  was  still  on 
the  antagonism  of  the  Pharisees,  warned  them 
to  beware  of  the  leaven  of  the  Pharisees  and  the 
Sadducees,  they  thought  it  was  because  they  had 
taken  no  bread.  Jesus  understanding  their 
thoughts,  said  to  them,  *'How  little  you  trust  me ! 
Why  do  you  worry  about  bread?  Do  you  not 
remember   my    feeding   the   five   thousand   with 

only  five  loaves  and  how  much  was  left  over? 
—  151  — 


Have  you  forgotten  the  seven  loaves  and  the  four 
thousand  people  and  how  many  baskets  were  left 
over?  Do  you  not  see  the  significance  of  it?  Are 
your  hearts  hardened  and  your  eyes  heavy  and 
your  ears  dull?"  Then  they  understood  that  he 
was  not  speaking  about  yeast  for  bread,  but 
about  the  influence  of  the  Pharisees  and  the 
Sadducers. 


Jjp  ATER  they  came  to  Bethsaida  and  a  blind 
man  was  brought  to  him  to  be  cured. 
Jesus  took  the  blind  man  by  the  hand  and  led 
him  out  of  the  village.  Then  he  moistened  his 
fingers  with  saliva  and  touched  his  eyes,  asking 
him  if  he  could  see  anything.  The  blind  man 
looked  up  and  said,  ''I  seem  to  see  men,  but  they 
look  like  trees  that  are  walking."  Then  Jesus 
touched  his  eyes  again  and  the  man  looked  about 
steadily  and  seeing  all  things  clearly,  knew  that 


Mark  8:  22-26. 

-^  152 


his  sight  was  restored.  Jesus  told  him  not  to  go 
back  to  the  village,  but  to  return  directly  home 
and  to  say  nothing  about  it.  Then  he  sent  him 
away. 


f\  T  one  time  Jesus  was  in  Caesarea  Philippi 
and  he  asked  his  disciples  the  question, 
"Who  do  men  say  that  I,  the  Son  of  man  am?" 
They  replied  that  some  said  that  he  was  John 
the  Baptist,  some  said  Elijah,  others  Jeremiah, 
or  one  of  the  prophets. 
Jesus  said,  "But  who  do  you  think  that  I  am?" 
Peter  said,  "You  are  the  Messiah,  the  Son  of 
the  Living  God."    Jesus  said  to  him:  "You  are 
a  fortunate  man,  Peter,  for  you  have  not  discern- 
ed this  by  your  human  faculties,  but  my  Father 
who  is  in  the  Spiritual  Realm,  he  has  revealed 
it  to  you.    Peter,  your  name  means  'rock'  and  on 
this  foundation,  this  discerning  faith,  will  I  build 


Matthew  i6:  13-20;  Mark  8:  27-30;  Luke  9:  18-21. 
—  153  — 


my  brotherhood,  and  nothing  shall  prevail  against 
it."  Then  he  urged  his  disciples  not  to  argue 
about  the  nature  of  his  personality  with  any  one, 
but  to  let  it  remain  a  matter  of  discerning  faith. 


Jit'  ROM  this  time  on  Jesus  began  to  talk  with 
his  disciples  about  his  coming  journey  to 
Jerusalem  and  about  the  things  that  he  must  suf- 
fer at  the  hands  of  the  elders  and  the  chief  priests 
and  the  scribes.  He  told  them  that  he  would  be 
put  to  death,  but  that  he  would  reappear  on  the 
third  day. 

Peter  reproved  him  for  this,  saying,  "God,  for- 
bid !  This  must  not  happen  to  you  Master."  Je- 
sus turned  on  him,  and  said,  "Stop,  Peter.  You 
are  not  speaking  now  in  the  spirit  of  Love,  but 
after  the  ways  of  men.  It  will  be  hard  enough  to 
bear ;  you  must  not  make  it  harder." 


Matthew  i6:  21-28;  Mark  8:  31-9:  i;  Luke  9:  22-27. 
—  154  — 


Then  turning  to  the  disciples  and  the  crowd 
that  stood  near,  he  said,  ''Whoever  wishes  to  fol- 
low me,  must  expect  hard  things,  but  must  be 
willing  to  deny  himself,  and  daily  take  up  'his 
burden.  You  may  ask,  what  profit  is  it  to  a  man, 
if  he  gain  the  whole  world  and  lose  his  Hfe?  Or, 
what  will  a  man  give  in  exchange  for  his  life? 
I  tell  you  that  whoever  cherishes  this  life  will 
lose  a  higher  Life  and  whoever  is  willing  to  lose 
this  life  for  Love's  sake,  will  find  a  higher  Life 
of  the  soul.  Whoever  is  ashamed  of  me  and  of 
my  teachings  in  this  faithless  and  sinful  genera- 
tion, of  him  will  the  Son  of  man  be  ashamed 
when  he  comes  in  the  glory  of  the  Father  with  his 
angels.  I  tell  you  most  earnestly,  the  time  is 
near !  There  are  some  of  you  standing  here,  who 
before  they  die,  will  see  the  Spiritual  Realm 
coming  with  power." 


—  155  — 


0\  week  after  this  Jesus  took  Peter  and  James 
and  John  and  went  up  into  the  mountains 
where  they  would  be  alone,  to  pray.  As  he  was 
praying  his  whole  appearance  was  changed.  His 
face  shone  like  the  sun  and  even  his  garments  be- 
came white  and  dazzling.  In  a  vision  of  glory, 
there  appeared  to  be  two  men,  like  Moses  and 
Elijah,  talking  with  him  about  his  coming  death 
at  Jerusalem. 

Peter  and  the  others  had  become  very  sleepy 
while  Jesus  was  praying,  but  when  the  splendor 
of  the  transfiguration  appeared,  they  became  ful- 
ly awake  and  saw  his  glory  and  the  two  who  were 
talking  with  him.  As  the  two  figures  began  to 
disappear,  Peter,  hardly  knowing  what  he  was 
saying,  said  to  Jesus,  "Master,  we  are  thankful 
to  you  that  we  are  here  to  have  seen  this.  Let 
us  build  three  shelters  where  you  can  stay  for  a 
little,  one  for  you,  one  for  Moses,  and  one  for 
Elijah." 


Matthew  17:  1-13;  Mark  9:  2-13;  Luke  9:  28-36. 
—  156  — 


Even  while  he  was  speaking  a  bright  cloud 
settled  down  over  them  and  they  became  alarmed. 
Then  out  of  the  cloud  came  a  voice  which  said, 
"This  is  my  beloved  Son,  my  chosen  One.  Listen 
to  him."  The  cloud  and  the  voice  had  so  filled 
them  with  awe  that  they  fell  on  their  faces  thor- 
oughly frightened.  Jesus  touched  them,  saying, 
''Rise  up,  do  not  be  afraid."  Looking  up  they 
saw  that  the  cloud  had  vanished  and  they  were 
alone  with  Jesus. 

On  the  way  down  the  mountain  Jesus  told 
them  not  to  tell  others  about  the  vision  until  the 
Son  of  man  should  reappear  after  his  death.  The 
whole  occurrence  seemed  so  mysterious  that  for 
a  long  time  they  said  nothing  about  it  to  anyone, 
but  among  themselves  they  continually  question- 
ed what  Jesus  could  really  mean  when  he  said 
that  he  would  reappear  after  death. 

They  asked  Jesus  what  the  scribes  mean  when 

they  say  that  Elijah  must  first  come.    Jesus  said, 

"Elijah  does  come  first  and  restores  all  things 

and,  what  is  more,  he  already  has  come  and  they 
—  157  — 


have  done  to  him  what  they  pleased,  as  it  was 
written.  But  what  is  written  about  the  Son  of 
man?  Is  it  not  this?  that  he  is  to  endure  much 
suffering  and  be  set  aside?"  Then  the  disciples 
fully  understood  that  Jesus  referred  to  John  the 
Baptist. 


JW  HEN  they  had  come  down  to  rejoin  the  oth- 
er disciples,  they  saw  a  great  crowd  sur- 
rounding them.  As  soon  as  they  were  noticed, 
the  crowd  came  to  meet  Jesus  and  one  man  ran 
and  kneeled  at  his  feet.  He  said:  "Master,  I 
have  brought  my  only  son  to  you.  He  is  an  epi- 
leptic and  he  suffers  awfully.  A  spirit  takes  him 
and  he  goes  into  convulsions,  bruising  himself 
and  nashing  his  teeth.  These  convulsions  keep 
returning.  Sometimes  he  falls  into  the  fire  and 
often  into  the  water  and  he  is  fast  wearing  him- 
self out.     I  begged  your  disciples  to  heal  him, 


Matthew  17:  14-20;  Mark  9:  14-29;  Luke  9:  37-43- 
—  158  — 


but  they  were  unable  to  do  so.    Oh  Master,  have 
mercy  on  him !" 

Jesus  said,  *'Oh,  how  little  faith  you  have,  how 
slow  to  learn  1  How  long  must  I  bear  with  you  ? 
Yes,  bring  the  lad  to  me."  As  he  came  near,  the 
boy  fell  in  a  convulsion,  rolling  about  and  foam- 
ing at  the  mouth.  Jesus  asked  the  father  how 
long  the  boy  had  been  in  this  condition.  The 
father  replied,  ''He  has  been  this  way  from 
a  child.  If  you  can  do  anything,  have  mercy  on 
us  and  help  us." 

Jesus  said,  "It  all  depends  on  you.  All  things 
are  possible  to  him  who  believes  and  trusts."  The 
father  cried  out,  ''I  do  believe!  Keep  me 
from  doubting."  Then  Jesus  rebuked  the  un- 
clean spirit,  commanding  it  to  come  out  of  the 
boy  and  never  return. 

The  child  cried  out  and  snatched  at  himself  and 
then  fell  down  as  though  he  were  dead.  Most  of 
those  who  saw  him  said  that  he  was  dead,  but 

Jesus  took  him  by  the  hand  and  he  stood  up  com- 
—  159  — 


pletely  cured.     Every  one  was  astonished  at  the 
power  that  could  do  so  wonderful  a  deed. 

Later  on  when  they  were  alone,  the  disciples 
asked  Jesus,  why  it  was  that  they  had  not  been 
able  to  effect  a  cure.  Jesus  replied,  ''This  lack  of 
power  can  only  be  remedied  by  prayer." 


^tjHILE  they  were  still  there,  Jesus  referred 
again  to  the  fact  that  he  was  soon  to  be 
delivered  into  the  hands  of  men  and  reappear  on 
the  third  day,  but  still  they  did  not  grasp  the 
meaning.  It  seemed  to  be  hidden  from  them  and 
they  were  afraid  to  ask  for  an  explanation. 

When  they  had  returned  to  Capernaum,  the 
tax  collector  came  to  Peter  and  asked,  ''Is  not 
your  teacher  liable  for  the  customary  tax?"  Peter 
said  he  was  and  went  into  the  house  to  get  it. 
Before  he  could  speak,  Jesus  said  to  him,  "Peter, 
from  whom  do  you  think  that  the  kings  of  the 


Matthew  17:  22-23;  Mark  9:  30-32;  Luke  9:  43-45. 
Matthew  17:  24-27. 

—  160  — 


earth  receive  tribute?  Is  it  from  their  own  sons 
or  from  strangers  ?"  Peter  repHed  that  it  was,  of 
course,  from  strangers. 

**Then,"  said  Jesus,  "We  are  free  because  we 
are  sons.  But  lest  there  be  a  dispute,  go  down 
to  the  shore  and  throw  out  a  hook  and  look  into 
the  mouth  of  the  first  fish  that  you  catch.  You 
will  find  a  coin  there.  Give  it  to  the  tax  collector, 
it  will  be  enough  for  us  both." 


/jdlNE  time  when  they  were  walking  along  the 
road  the  disciples  disputed  as  to  who  among 
them  was  the  most  important  one.  Later  in 
the  day  when  they  were  in  a  house  together,  Je- 
sus asked  them  what  it  was  that  they  were  dis- 
cussing on  the  way.  They  were  ashamed  to  re- 
ply, but  Jesus  could  read  their  thoughts  and  said 
to  them,  "You  were  discussing  who  among  you 
was  the  greatest.  Let  me  tell  you  who  is  great- 
est in  the  Spiritual  Realm,  that  is  more  important. 


Matthew  i8;  Mark  9:  33-50;  Luke  9:  46-50. 
—  161  — 


"If  any  man  would  be  first,  he  must  be  least  of 
all  and  servant  of  all."  Calling  a  little  child,  he 
stood  him  by  his  side  and  said  to  his  disciples: 
''Except  you  change  and  become  as  little  children, 
you  can  never  enter  the  Spiritual  Realm."  Put- 
ting his  arms  about  the  child  he  continued,  "Who- 
ever humbles  himself  and  becomes  as  this  little 
child,  he  is  greatest  in  the  Spiritual  Realm.  Who- 
ever shall  welcome  one  such  little  one  in  a  spirit 
of  love,  welcomes  me,  and  whoever  welcomes  me, 
welcomes  him  that  sent  me. 

"Moreover,  whoever  is  a  hindrance  in  the  path 
of  one  of  these  little  ones  that  is  trusting  in  me, 
it  were  better  for  him  that  a  great  millstone  were 
hanged  about  his  neck  and  he  were  thrown  into 
the  sea.  See  that  you  do  not  despise  one  of  these 
little  ones,  for  in  the  Spiritual  Realm  their  angels 
always  have  access  to  the  presence  of  my  Fath- 
er, and  it  is  not  his  purpose  that  one  of  these  lit- 
tle ones  should  perish." 

John  said  to  him,  "Master,  today  we  saw  one 

casting  out  devils  in  your  name  and  we  forbad 
■—  162  — 


him  doing  so,  because  he  did  not  follow  us."  Je- 
sus said,  *'You  should  not  have  stopped  him,  for 
no  one  can  do  mighty  works  in  my  name  and 
quickly  speak  evil  of  me.  He  that  is  not  against 
us,  is  for  us  and  whoever  shall  give  a  cup  of  cold 
water,  or  do  the  smallest  kindness  in  my  name, 
he  shall  never  miss  his  reward." 

Peter  said  to  him,  "Master,  if  my  brother  sin 
against  me,  how  often  shall  I  forgive  him?  Shall 
I  forgive  him  seven  times?"  Jesus  replied:  "Do 
not  limit  forgiveness  to  seven  times,  nor  to  seven- 
ty times  seven.  If  your  brother  offend  you,  go 
to  him  privately  and  show  him  his  fault.  If  he 
will  listen  to  you,  you  have  gained  a  brother. 

"The  Spiritual  Realm  is  like  a  king,  who  would 
make  a  settlement  with  his  agents.  One  came  to 
him  who  owed  him  ten  million  dollars  and  who 
frankly  admitted  that  he  could  not  pay  it.  The 
king,  therefore  commanded  that  he  be  sold,  him- 
self and  his  family,  and  that  all  that  he  had  be 

confiscated.     The  agent  prostrated  himself  and 
—  163  — 


begged,  saying,  Xord,  have  patience  with  me  and 
I  will  pay  it  all.'  The  king  was  moved  with  pity 
and  not  only  released  him,  but  forgave  him  the 
debt. 

''The  agent  went  out  and  found  one  of  his 
own  servants  who  owed  him  twenty  five  dollars. 
He  took  him  roughly  by  the  throat  and  said,  'You 
must  pay  my  debt.'  The  servant  fell  down  and  in 
his  turn,  begged  for  time,  saying,  'Have  patience 
and  I  will  pay  it  all.'  The  agent  would  not  listen 
to  him,  but  had  the  servant  put  into  prison,  until 
the  debt  was  paid. 

"Some  of  his  fellow  agents  seeing  what  was 
going  on,  reported  it  to  the  king.  Then  the  king 
recalled  his  agent  and  said  to  him,  'You  scoun- 
drel! I  forgave  you  all  your  debt  because  you 
asked  it.  Should  you  not  have  had  mercy  on  your 
own  servant,  even  as  I  have  had  mercy  on  you?' 
Then  the  king  was  angry  and  delivered  him  over 
to   the   tortures   until   he   should  have  paid  all 

the  debt. 

—  164  — 


"In  the  same  way,  my  Father  In  the  Spiritual 
Realm  shall  do  to  you,  if  you  do  not  forgive, 
from  your  heart,  every  one  his  brother." 


JTT  HE  Jews  in  Judea  were  threatening  to  kill 
Jesus,  but  he  still  continued  to  go  about 
Galilee.  As  the  Feast  of  Tabernacles  approached, 
his  brothers  suggested  that  he  go  into  Judea  and 
give  his  disciples  there  an  opportunity  of  witness- 
ing some  miracles.  "For,"  they  said,  "no  man, 
who  wants  to  be  publicly  recognized,  keeps  his 
works  secret.  "If  this  is  your  mission,  show 
yourself  to  the  world."  It  was  very  evident  that 
his  brothers  had  not  yet  understood  him. 

Jesus  replied  to  them,  "It  is  not  yet  time  for 
me  to  go,  but  you  can  go  at  any  time.  The  world 
does  not  hate  you,  but  it  does  hate  me,  because  I 
denounce  its  evil  ways.  Go  when  you  please,  but 
I  cannot  go  until  I  think  the  proper  time  has 

John  7:  1-21. 

—  165  — 


come."  After  his  brothers  had  gone,  Jesus  re- 
mained in  Galilee  a  few  days  and  went  up  to  the 
Feast  secretly. 

The  Jews  expected  that  he  would  appear  and 
were  on  the  watch  for  him,  and  many  questions 
were  asked  as  to  his  whereabouts.  There  was 
much  discussion  among  the  multitude  concerning 
him.  Some  said,  "He  is  a  good  man."  Others 
said,  "No,  he  is  leading  the  people  astray."  But 
no  one  spoke  openly  about  him  for  fear  of  the 
Jews. 

In  the  midst  of  the  Feast,  Jesus  appeared  teach- 
ing in  the  temple.  They  marvelled  at  his  word, 
saying,  "How  does  this  uneducated  man  know 
so  much?"  Jesus  replied:  "My  teaching  is  not 
mine,  but  his  that  sent  me.  If  any  one  makes  up 
his  mind  to  do  the  will  of  Sovereign  Love,  he  will 
know  whether  the  teaching  is  from  him  or 
whether  I  am  speaking  out  of  my  own  mind. 

"The  one  who  teaches  the  things  that  he  him- 
self originates,  is  seeking  his  own  glory;  but  he 

who  is  honestly  seeking  the  glory  of  Sovereign 
—  166  — 


Love,  must  himself  be  sincere,  and  then  that 
which  he  teaches  will  be  the  truth. 

"Did  not  Moses  give  you  the  Law?  And  yet 
none  of  you  live  up  to  it,  or  you  would  not  seek 
to  kill  me." 

Some  one  in  the  crowd  cried  out,  "You  must 
be  crazy,  who  is  seeking  to  kill  you?" 


^S|OME  one  else  said,  "Surely  this  is  the  man 
they  are  seeking  to  kill  and  yet  he  speaks 
openly  and  they  say  nothing  to  him.  Can  it  be 
possible  that  the  rulers  after  all  believe  that  he  is 
the  Messiah?"  Another  said,  "No,  that  is  im- 
possible, for  we  know  this  man  and  where  he 
comes  from,  but  when  the  Messiah  comes,  no  one 
will  know  from  whence  he  appeared." 

Jesus  cried  out  in  the  temple:  "You  know  me 
and  you  know  from  whence  I  come,  do  you? 
But  do  you  know  that  I  have  not  come  of  myself? 
Do  you  know  that  the  One  that  sent  me  is  the 

John  7:  25-52. 

—  167  — 


highest  Reahty.  You  do  not  know  him,  but  I 
know  him,  because  he  sent  me  and  I  am  come 
from  him." 

But  there  were  many  in  the  multitude  who  be- 
Heved  in  Jesus  and  they  said,  "When  the  Messiah 
comes  will  he  do  more  than  this  man  is  able  to 
do?" 

The  Pharisees  heard  these  murmurings  and 
they  redoubled  their  efforts  to  get  Jesus  out  of 
the  way.  They  and  the  chief  priests  sent  officers 
to  arrest  him,  but  no  one  actually  laid  hands  on 
him  for  his  hour  was  not  yet  come. 

To  them  Jesus  said,  ''I  am  with  you  only  a  lit- 
tle while  and  then  I  go  to  him  that  sent  me.  You 
will  seek  me  and  will  not  find  me,  for  where  I  am 
you  can  not  come."  The  Jews  said  among  them- 
selves, "Where  will  he  go  that  we  can  not  find 
him?  Will  he  go  to  the  Hebrews  that  are  dis- 
persed among  the  Greeks,  or  will  he  go  to  teach 
the  Greeks  themselves?  What  does  he  mean, 
when  he  says,  'You  will  seek  me  and  will  not  find 

me,  for  where  I  am  you  can  not  come  ?'  " 
—  168  — 


/JPI  N  the  last  day  of  the  Feast,  and  that  was  the 
great  day,  Jesus  stood  forth  and  said,  "If 
any  man  is  thirsty,  let  him  come  to  me  and  drink. 
The  scriptures  speak  truly  when  they  say,  'Rivers 
of  Iknng  zvater  shall  well  up  in  him  who  believes 
and  trusts  in  me.' "  The  full  significance  of  this 
saying  was  not  apparent  at  the  time,  for  Jesus 
was  speaking  of  the  Love  Vitality  that  they  who 
believed  in  him  were  to  receive  after  his 
ascension. 

Some  of  those  who  heard  him  speak  said,  "This 
is  surely  the  prophet  that  is  to  come."  Others 
said,  "No,  he  is  himself  the  Messiah."  Still  oth- 
ers said,  "Impossible.  This  man  is  from  Galilee 
and  the  scriptures  say  that  the  Messiah  is  to  come 
from  Bethlehem,  because  he  is  to  be  descended 
from  David,  and  Bethlehem  is  David's  native 
town." 

Thus   the   dispute   and    division   of    sentiment 

went  on,  but  no  one  was  willing  actually  to  lay 

hands  on  him.     The  officers  therefore  returned 

to  the  chief  priests  and  Pharisees  without  Jesus. 
—  169  — 


When  questioned  as  to  why  they  had  not  brought 
him  they  said,  "No  man  ever  spoke  as  he  speaks.'' 
The  Pharisees  said,  "What,  are  you  also  bewitch- 
ed? Don't  you  know  that  none  of  the  educated 
men  and  men  of  authority  beheve  in  him?  As 
for  the  multitude,  they  know  nothing  about  the 
law,  and  are  damned  anyway." 

Nicodemus,  the  member  of  the  Sanhedrin  who 
had  come  to  Jesus  by  night,  then  spoke  up,  "Does 
our  Law  judge  a  man  before  a  charge  is  brought 
against  him  and  before  he  has  been  given  an  op- 
portunity to  defend  himself?"  The  others  re- 
plied, "Are  you  also  from  Galilee?  If  you  make 
search  you  will  know  that  no  prophet  ever  came, 
or  ever  will  come,  out  of  Galilee." 


TgT  HE  day  being  over,  everyone  returned  to  his 
home,  and  Jesus  went  to  the  Mount  of 
Olives.  Early  the  next  morning  he  was  at  the 
temple  again  and  the  people  thronged  about  him 
as  he  took  a  seat  and  began  to  talk  with  them. 


John  7:  53;  8:  i-ii. 

—    170    — 


While  he  was  here  the  scribes  and  the  Phari- 
sees brought  to  him  a  woman  who  had  been  taken 
in  adultery.  They  said  to  him,  ''According  to  the 
Law  which  Moses  has  commanded,  this  woman 
should  be  stoned  to  death.  What  do  you  say 
about  her?"  They  did  it,  of  course,  hoping  to 
find  in  his  reply,  some  ground  upon  which  they 
could  base  charges  against  him. 

At  first  Jesus  did  not  reply,  but  stooping  down, 
he  wrote  with  his  finger  on  the  ground.  They 
continued  to  question  him  and  finally  he  stood  up 
and  said  to  them,  "Let  him  who  is  sinless  among 
you  cast  the  first  stone."  Then  again  he  stooped 
down  and  continued  to  write  on  the  ground. 
When  they  heard  his  reply,  one  by  one,  they  went 
out,  from  the  eldest  to  the  youngest. 

Jesus  then  stood  up  and  said,  "Woman,  where 
are  they?  Did  no  one  condemn  you?"  She  re- 
plied, "No  one.  Sir."  Jesus  said  to  her,"  Neither 
will  I  condemn  you.  Go  away  now,  but  do  not 
sin  any  more." 

—  171  -^ 


A   FTER  this  Jesus  resumed  his  teaching.    He 
said,  *'I  am  the  Light  of  the  world.     He 
that  follows  me  will  not  walk  in  darkness,  but 
will  have  in  him  the  Light  of  Life." 

The  Pharisees  said  to  him,  "You  are  certainly 
bearing  witness  to  yourself  now,  and  of  course  it 
can  carry  no  weight."  Jesus  said :  **Even  if  I  am 
bearing  witness  to  myself,  my  testimony  may  be 
true.  I  know  from  whence  I  come  and  where  I 
am  going,  neither  of  which  you  know.  You  are 
always  judging  by  appearances;  I  judge  no  man 
in  that  way.  When  I  judge,  my  judgment  is 
sound,  because  I  am  not  alone;  the  Father  who 
sent  me  is  with  me.  It  is  written  that  the  witness 
of  two  men  is  final.  I  bear  witness  and  my  Fath- 
er who  sent  me  bears  witness." 

They  said  to  him,  "Where  is  your  Father?" 
Jesus  said,  "You  do  not  understand  me  or  my 
Father.  If  you  knew  me,  you  would  know  my 
Father  also.  I  am  going  away  soon  and  where  I 
go  you  can  not  follow,  but  the  time  will  come 

John  8:  12-30. 

—  172  — 


when  you  will  seek  me  vainly  and  will  die  in  your 
sins." 

The  Jews  questioned  among  themselves,  "What 
does  he  mean,  when  he  says,  that  he  is  going 
away  and  we  can  not  follow?  Will  he  kill  him- 
self?" Jesus  continued,  ''The  reason  that  I  said 
that  you  will  die  in  your  sins,  is  this:  you  are 
from  beneath,  I  am  from  above.  I  am  not  of  this 
world ;  I  am  of  a  higher  Spiritual  Order.  Unless 
you  trustingly  believe  in  me,  you  will  remain  in 
the  lower  life  and  therefore,  most  certainly,  you 
will  die  in  your  sins." 

They  said  to  him,  ''Tell  us  who  you  really  are." 
Jesus  replied,  "I  am  all  that  I  have  told  you  from 
the  beginning.  The  Father  who  sent  me  is  to  be 
trusted,  and  the  things  that  I  hear  from  him,  I 
must  speak  to  the  world.  If  you  would  only  lis- 
ten to  me,  there  are  many  things  that  vitally  con- 
cern you,  that  I  would  willingly  tell  you." 

Still  they  did  not  understand  his  reference  to 

the  Father.     Jesus  continued,  "When  you  have 

lifted  up  the  Son  of  man,  then  you  will  know 
—  173  — 


who  I  am.  You  will  know  that  I  have  done  noth- 
ing of  myself,  and  have  spoken  only  as  the  Father 
teaches  me.  He  that  sent  me  is  with  me,  and  he 
never  forsakes  me,  because  I  always  do  the  things 
that  please  him.'' 


Tji^  spite  of  the  opposition,  many  of  the  Jews 
had  come  to  believe  in  him  and  to  these  Je- 
sus now  turned,  saying,  '*If  you  really  wish  to  be 
my  disciples,  you  must  live  close  to  the  spirit  of 
my  teachings.  If  you  do  that,  then  you  will  have 
an  insight  into  the  truth,  and  the  truth  will  set 
you  free." 

Some  one  in  the  crowd  said  to  him,  "We  are 
descendants  of  Abraham  and  have  never  been  in 
bondage  to  any  one.  What  do  you  mean  when 
you  say,  'You  will  be  set  free.'  "  Jesus  explained, 
"Every  one  that  commits  sin  is  a  slave.  The  slave 
has  no  permanent  right  in  the  master's  house, 

John  8:  31-59- 

—  174  — 


but  the  master's  son  has ;  and,  if  the  Son  gives 
you  your  freedom,  you  will  be  actually  free. 

"I  know  that  you  are  descendants  of  Abraham 
and  yet  some  among  you  are  seeking  opportunity 
to  kill  me,  and  my  teachings  can  make  almost  no 
headway  among  you.  I  speak  only  the  things  that 
I  learn  from  my  Father  and  you  do  the  things 
that  you  learn  from  your  father."  They  said, 
'^Abraham  is  our  father."  *'If  you  are  truly  Ab- 
raham's children,"  said  Jesus,  "you  would  do  as 
Abraham  would  do.  But  now  you  seek  to  kill 
me,  who  have  told  you  the  truth,  which  I  heard 
from  Sovereign  Love.  Abraham  would  never 
have  done  that.  No,  you  are  doing  the  deeds  of 
your  father." 

They  said,  "We  are  not  illegitimate  children, 
God  is  our  Father."  "If  Sovereign  Love  were 
your  Father,"  said  Jesus,  "you  would  love  me, 
for  I  am  come  from  him.  I  did  not  come  of  my- 
self ;  Sovereign  Love  has  sent  me.  Why  can  you 
not  understand  my  teachings?    Is  it  because  you 

can  not  hear  my  words  ?    No,  you  are  children  of 
—  175  — 


your  father,  the  devil,  and  you  will  naturally  do 
the  things  that  he  desires.  He  was  a  murderer 
from  the  beginning.  He  does  not  stick  to  the 
truth,  because  there  is  no  truth  in  him.  When 
one  speaks  a  lie,  he  speaks  of  that  which  is  his 
own,  for  his  father  was  a  liar  and  the  father  of 
lies. 

"Has  any  one  ever  convicted  me  of  sin  ?  Then 
if  I  speak  the  truth,  why  do  you  not  believe  me? 
I  will  tell  you  the  reason.  The  reason  is  that  you 
are  not  influenced  by  Love.  He  that  is  sensitive 
to  Love  will  appreciate  the  words  of  Sovereign 
Love." 

One  of  the  Jews  said,  "We  were  very  near  the 
truth  when  we  said  that  you  were  a  Samaritan 
and  crazy."  Jesus  said,  "No,  I  am  not  insane, 
I  honor  the  Father,  but  you  are  dishonoring  me. 
I  do  not  care  for  my  own  glory;  there  is  One 
who  cares  for  me,  let  him  be  the  judge.  But  I 
want  to  tell  you  most  earnestly,  that  if  a  man 
would  live  in  harmony  with  the  spirit  of  my 
teachings,  he  would  never  know  death." 

The  Jews  said,  "Now  we  know  that  you  are 
—  176  — 


crazy.  Abraham  died  and  the  prophets  are  long 
since  dead,  and  yet  you  say,  'If  a  man  keep  my 
word,  he  will  never  die.'  Are  you  greater  than 
our  father  Abraham,  that  is  dead?  And  the 
prophets  that  are  dead?    Who  are  you  any  way?" 

Jesus  said,  "If  I  praise  myself,  my  glory  will 
amount  to  nothing.  It  is  my  Father  that  glorifies 
me.  You  say  that  he  is  your  God,  but  I  tell  you 
that  you  have  never  really  known  him.  I  know 
him  and,  if  I  should  say  that  I  did  not  know  him, 
I  should  be  lying,  just  the  same  as  you  are  when 
you  claim  to  know  him.  But  I  really  know  him 
and  am  living  according  to  his  word.  Your  fath- 
er, Abraham,  exulted  in  the  hope  of  seeing  my 
day  and  he  did  see  it  and  rejoiced." 

The  Jews  said,  "You  are  not  yet  forty  years  of 
age,  how  could  you  have  seen  Abraham?"  Jesus 
replied,  "Before  Abraham  was  born,  I  am.  As 
the  Father's  Love  Thought  I  was  with  Sovereign 
Love  from  the  beginning." 

Then  they  took  up  stones  to  stone  him,  but  he 

disappeared  from  their  sight  and  passed  out  of 

the  temple. 

~  177  — 


CHAPTER  SEVEN. 

Farf^wkIvL  to  GaIvIlek  and  Pubi^ic  Proclama- 
tion OP  Messiahship. 

A   FTER  the  Feast  of  Tabernacles  that  Jesus 

had  attended  in  October  he   returned  to 

Galilee.    The  Feast  of  Dedication  would  come  in 

December  and  the  great  Feast  of  the  Passover  in 

the  following  April. 

As  the  days  of  his  earthly  life  were  drawing 
to  a  close,  he  felt  an  increasing  longing  to  be  in 
Jerusalem.  He  did  not  go  there  directly,  but  by 
way  of  northern  Samaria  and  Peraea,  the  coun- 
try that  lay  to  the  East  of  the  Jordan  Valley. 

Hitherto  he  had  left  his  followers  to  discern 
his  Messiahship  for  themselves,  but  now  it  must 
be  asserted  openly.     If  he  was  to  be  finally  re- 


Matthew  8:  19-22;  Luke  9:  51-62;  10:  i-ii. 
—  178  — 


jected  he  felt  that  it  should  be  done  publicly  by 
the  chief  priests  acting  for  the  nation. 

The  character  of  his  teachings  had  repelled  the 
larger  part  of  the  multitudes  that  had  flocked  to 
him  during  the  earlier  months  of  his  ministry. 
His  words  had  indeed  proven  to  be  a  test  by 
which  the  thoughts  of  men's  hearts  had  been  re- 
vealed. They  wanted  a  king  who  would  restore 
their  nation  to  its  old  time  prestige.  He  pro- 
claimed their  nearness  to  a  Kingdom  of  Love  and 
called  them  to  repentance.  His  works  were 
mighty  and  his  teachings  were  sublime,  but  he 
himself  was  humble  and  kindly  and  unselfish. 
He  was  not  the  kind  of  a  Messiah  the  people 
wanted;  and  so  the  words  of  the  prophet  came 
true. 

"He  zvas  dispised  and  rejected  of  men;  a  man 
of  sorrow  and  acquainted  zvith  grief.'' 


—  179  — 


A  T  this  time  Jesus  appointed  seventy  of  his 
disciples  to  go  out  by  twos  into  every  vil- 
lage and  town  where  he  intended  later  on  to  come 
himself.  He  said  to  them,  ''The  harvest  is  abun- 
dant, but  the  laborers  are  few.  I  want  you  to 
pray  to  the  Lord  of  the  harvest,  that  he  send 
forth  laborers  into  his  fields. 

"I  send  you  forth  as  lambs  into  the  midst  of 
wolves,  but  go  your  different  ways  without  fear. 
Carry  no  purse,  no  bag,  no  extra  shoes  even,  and 
do  not  stop  to  gossip  by  the  way.  Whenever  you 
go  into  a  house,  say,  'Peace  be  to  this  house.'  If 
they  welcome  you,  your  benediction  will  be  ac- 
ceptable. If  you  are  conscious  of  no  response  of 
welcome,  do  not  remain,  but  go  elsewhere.  When 
you  find  a  welcome,  remain  there ;  do  not  go  from 
house  to  house.  Eat  whatever  is  set  before  you, 
for  the  laborer  is  worthy  of  his  support;  but  do 
not  ask  for  special  attentions.  Heal  the  sick  in 
the  house  and  village  where  you  are  welcome, 
and  say  to  them,  'The  Spiritual  Realm  is  very 

near  to  you.' 

—  180  — 


*'If  you  enter  a  town  where  you  are  not  wel- 
come, go  into  the  principal  streets  and  proclaim, 
'Not  even  the  dust  of  your  streets  do  we  take 
away  with  us.  We  come  to  tell  you  of  the  Spir- 
itual Realm.  You  do  not  welcome  us,  but  know 
this,  the  Spiritual  Realm  has  come  very  near. 
He  that  listens  to  you,  is  listening  to  me.  He 
that  rejects  you  is  rejecting  me;  and  he  that  re- 
jects me  has  rejected  him  that  sent  me." 

As  they  approached  Samaria  these  messengers 
went  ahead  to  make  ready  for  his  coming.  They 
created  great  excitement  and  interest.  Wherever 
Jesus  came  great  multitudes  were  waiting  to  see 
and  hear  him  and  they  followed  him  from  place 
to  place.  He  taught  these  multitudes  as  was  his 
habit  and  healed  the  sick. 

When  it  became  known  that  he  was  on  his  way 

to  Jerusalem  the  Samaritans  were  unwilling  that 

he  should  pass  through  their  country.    When  his 

disciples  James  and  John  saw  their  attitude  they 

suggested  to  Jesus  that  he  call  down  fire  from 

heaven  to  consume  them,  but  Jesus  rebuked  his 

disciples  and  led  them  by  another  way. 

—  181  — 


A    S  they  passed  along  a  scribe  said  to  Jesus, 

"Master,  I  will  follow  you  wherever  you 

go."     Jesus  said  to  him,  ''The  foxes  have  holes 

and  the  birds  of  the  air  have  nests ;  but  the  Son 

of  man  has  no  where  to  lay  his  head." 

Another  man  said,  "Let  me  first  return  and 
bury  my  father."  But  Jesus  said,  "Let  those  that 
belong  to  the  realm  of  death,  bury  their  own 
dead;  but  as  for  you,  go  and  preach  everywhere 
the  Good  News  of  the  Spiritual  Realm." 

Still  another  said,  "I  will  follow  you.  Master, 
only  let  me  first  return  home  and  bid  them  fare- 
well." But  Jesus  said  to  him,  "No  man  having 
put  his  hand  to  the  plow  and  then  looking  back, 
is  fit  for  the  Spiritual  Realm." 

Jesus  turned  to  the  great  multitude  that  fol- 
lowed him  and  said :  "A  man  can  not  be  my  dis- 
ciple unless  he  is  so  fixed  in  his  devotion  that  it  is 
just  as  though,  in  contrast,  he  hated  his  father 
and  mother  and  children  and  brothers  and  sis- 
ters, yes,  and  even  his  own  life.    One  can  not  be 

Luke  14:  25-35. 

—  182  — 


my  disciple  until  he  is  willing  to  take  up  his  heav- 
iest cross  and  follow  me. 

"If  one  of  you  wanted  to  build  a  tower,  would 
you  not  first  sit  down  and  count  the  cost  to  assure 
yourself  that  you  have  the  means  to  finish  it? 
No  one  wants  to  be  the  laughing  stock  of  the 
community  and  to  have  people  taunt  him,  saying, 
'This  man  started  to  build  but  could  not  finish.' 

''What  king  undertakes  a  war  against  another 
without  first  considering  whether  with  his  ten 
thousand  soldiers  he  will  be  able  to  meet  his  ene- 
my with  twenty  thousand.  Does  he  not  send  an 
ambassador,  while  the  other  army  is  yet  a  great 
ways  ofif,  and  ask  for  conditions  of  peace?  No, 
not  one  of  you  can  be  a  disciple  of  mine,  unless 
he  has  renounced  all  that  he  has.  My  disciples 
are  to  be  the  salt  of  the  earth,  and  unless  the  salt 
retains  its  virtue,  it  is  worthless  and  men  throw 
it  away.  If  you  have  ears  to  hear,  you  can  un- 
derstand what  I  mean." 

The  seventy,  whom  he  had  sent  out  by  twos, 

returned  to  him  from  time  to  time,  rejoicing  in 

—  183  — . 


spirit.  They  reported  to  Jesus  that  when  they 
used  his  name,  even  the  demons  were  subject  un- 
to them.  Jesus  said  to  them :  "Yes,  I  have  given 
you  authority  to  tread  on  serpents  and  scorpions, 
and  over  all  the  power  of  the  enemy.  Nothing 
shall  in  any  way  hurt  you;  nevertheless,  do  not 
rejoice  in  this,  that  the  demons  are  in  subjection 
to  you,  but  rejoice  that  your  names  are  written 
in  the  Spiritual  Realm." 


i\     lawyer  then  came  forward  and  asked  Jesus 

a  question  designed  to  test  him.  "Teacher," 

he  said,  "What  shall  I  do  to  inherit  eternal  life  ?" 

Jesus  said,  "What  is  written  in  the  Law?    How 

do  you  read  it?" 

The  lawyer  said,  "The  Law  says :  'Thou  shalt 
love  the  Lord  thy  God  ivith  all  thy  heart,  and 
with  all  thy  soul,  and  zvith  all  thy  strength,  and 


Luke  lo:  17-20;  25-37. 

—  184  — 


with  all  thy  mind;  and  thy  neighbor  as  thyself/' 
Jesus  said  to  him,  *'You  have  answered  rightly.  If 
you  do  that  you  will  live." 

But  the  lawyer,  wishing  to  put  himself  in  a 
better  light,  asked,  "But  who  is  my  neighbor?" 
Jesus  replied  as  follows :  "A  certain  man  was 
going  down  from  Jerusalem  to  Jericho  and  he 
fell  among  robbers,  who  stripped  him  and  beat 
him  and  left  him  half  dead.  By  chance  a  priest 
was  going  that  way  and  when  he  saw  him,  he 
passed  by  on  the  other  side.  A  Levite,  also,  when 
he  came  to  the  place  and  saw  him,  passed  by  on 
the  other  side. 

But  a   Samaritan  as  he  journeyed    came    to 

where  he  was.    When  he  saw  him  he  was  moved 

with  pity  and  came  to  him  and  bound  up  his 

wounds  with  wine  and  oil.     He  placed  him  on 

his  own  mule  and  brought  him  to  an  inn  and  took 

care  of  him.    On  the  morrow  when  he  had  to  go, 

he  left  money  with  the  innkeeper  for  his  care  and 

said  to  him,  "Whatever  more  you  expend  I  will 

pay  you  when  I  return." 

—  185  — 


"Which  of  these  three,  do  you  think,  was 
neighbor  to  him  who  fell  among  robbers  ?"  The 
lawyer  said,  *'It  was  he  that  showed  mercy."  Je- 
sus said,  ''Then  you  must  be  like  him." 


A    S  they  drew  near  Jerusalem  they  came  to  the 

village  of  Bethany  and  were  received  into 

the  house  of  a  woman  named  Martha.     She  had 

a  sister  called  Mary  who,  also,  was  one  of  those 

who  listened  gladly  to  the  words  of  Jesus. 

Martha  was  distracted  with  the  extra  work  and 
came  to  Jesus  and  said,  "Do  you  notice,  Master, 
that  my  sister  has  left  me  to  do  all  the  work? 
Bid  her  to  help  me."  But  Jesus  said  to  her, 
"Martha,  Martha,  you  are  anxious  and  troubled 
about  many  things.  There  is  only  one  thing  that 
is  really  important.  Mary  has  chosen  the  good 
portion,  and  it  shall  not  be  taken  away  from  her." 

Luke  10 :  38-42. 

—  186  — 


A  S  his  disciples  were  passing  along  they  saw  a 
man  who  had  been  blind  from  his  birth. 
They  asked  Jesus/'Why  was  this  man  born  blind? 
Did  he  sin,  or  his  parents?"  Jesus  answered,  "It 
was  neither  for  his  sin,  nor  for  his  parent's  sin. 
It  was  so  that  the  mercy  of  Sovereign  Love  might 
be  shown  in  his  healing.  I  must  do  the  work  of 
him  that  sent  me  while  the  daylight  lasts;  the 
night  is  coming  when  no  one  can  work.  While 
I  am  in  the  world,  I  am  the  Light  of  the  world." 

While  he  was  speaking,  he  spat  on  the  ground 
and  made  clay  of  the  saliva,  which  he  spread  on 
the  eyes  of  the  blind  man  and  then  said  to  him, 
"Go,  to  the  Pool  of  Saloam  and  wash."  The  blind 
man  went  and  after  he  had  washed  his  eyes  he 
could  see. 

The  neighbors  and  those  that  had  known  him 
as  a  beggar,  said,  "Is  not  this  the  blind  beggar?" 
Some  said,  it  was,  but  others  said,  "No,  he  is 
some  one  that  looks  like  him."  But  the  man  him- 
self said,  "I  am  he."     They  asked  him  how  his 


John  9;  10:  19-21. 

—  187  — 


eyes  were  opened  and  he  said,  *'The  man  that  is 
called  Jesus,  made  clay  and  put  it  on  my  eyes  and 
told  me  to  go  to  Saloam  and  wash.  I  did  so  and 
received  my  sight."  They  asked  him  where  Jesus 
was  and  he  replied  that  he  did  not  know. 

As  it  was  on  the  sabbath  day  that  this  was  done, 
they  took  the  man  to  the  Pharisees,  who  also 
questioned  him  as  to  how  he  received  his  sight. 
He  said  to  them,  ''He  put  clay  on  my  eyes;  I 
washed  and  now  I  see."  One  of  the  Pharisees 
said  that  it  was  evident  that  the  man  could  not  be 
of  God,  or  he  would  have  kept  the  sabbath. 
Others  asked  how  it  was  possible  for  a  sinner  to 
do  such  a  miracle ;  so  there  was  a  division  among 
them. 

Then  they  turned  to  the  blind  man  and  asked 
him  what  he  thought  of  the  man  who  had  opened 
his  eyes.  He  replied  without  hesitation,  "He  is 
a  prophet."  The  Jews  still  doubted  if  he  really 
had  been  blind  and  so  they  summoned  his  parents. 
"Is  this  man,  whom  they  say  was  bom  blind,  your 

son?    How  is  it  that  he  can  now  see?" 

—  188  -— 


His  parents  replied,  "We  know  that  this  is  our 
son  and  we  know  that  he  was  born  blind,  bu-t  as 
to  how  he  received  his  sight,  or  as  to  who  healed 
him,  we  are  ignorant.  He  is  of  age ;  ask  him,  let 
him  speak  for  himself."  His  parents  knew  that 
the  Jews  had  already  agreed  that  anyone  that 
admitted  that  they  believed  that  Jesus  was  the 
Messiah,  was  to  be  put  out  of  the  synagogue  and 
they  were  therefore  afraid  of  the  Jews.  This 
explains  Avhy  they  tried  to  avoid  answering  the 
questions. 

So  they  called  the  man  who  was  born  blind,  a 

second  time  and  said  to  him,  ''Give  glory  to  God ; 

we  know  that  this  man  Jesus  is  a  sinner."    The 

man  said,  "Whether  he  is  a  sinner  or  not,  I  do 

not  know.    One  thing  I  do  know  and  that  is  this, 

once  I  was  blind,  now  I  see."    They  said  to  him, 

"What  did  he  do  to  you  ?    How  did  he  open  your 

eyes?"     The  man  replied,  "I  have  already  told 

you  and  you  do  not  listen.    Why  do  you  want  me 

to  repeat  it?    Are  you  thinking  of  becoming  his 

disciples  ?" 

-^  189  — 


Then  they  reviled  him  and  said,  "You  are  his 
disciple;  we  are  disciples  of  Moses.  We  know 
that  God  has  spoken  to  Moses,  but  as  for  this 
fellow,  we  know  nothing  about  him."  The  man 
said,  "Why,  that  is  strange;  you  say  you  know 
nothing  about  him  and  yet  he  has  opened  my 
eyes.  We  know  that  God  does  not  listen  to  sin- 
ners ;  but  if  anyone  be  a  worshipper  of  God  and 
does  his  will,  God  will  listen  to  him.  Never  since 
the  world  began,  has  anyone  heard  of  anyone 
opening  the  eyes  of  a  man  born  blind.  If  Jesus 
were  not  from  God  he  could  do  nothing." 

Then  they  said  to  him,  "You  were  born  in  sin, 

and  do  you  presume  to  teach  us?"     And  they 

threw  him  out  of  the  temple.     Jesus  heard  that 

they  had  thrown  him  out  and  so  he  found  him 

and  said,  "Do  you  believe  in  the  Son  of  man?" 

"Who  is  he  Lord,"  the  man  replied,  "that  I  may 

believe  on  him."    Jesus  said  to  him,  "You  have 

seen  him  and  he  is  now  speaking  with  you."  The 

man  said,  "Lord,  I  do  believe,"  and  he  prostrated 

himself  in  worship. 

—  190  — 


Then  Jesus  said,  '1  come  into  the  world  to  test 
men,  so  that  they  who  do  not  see,  but  want  to, 
may  see,  and  those  who  think  they  see  may  real- 
ize their  bHndness." 

When  the  Pharisees  who  were  standing  near 
heard  this,  they  asked  him,  "Are  we,  then,  blind?" 
Jesus  replied  to  them,  *'If  you  were  blind  you 
would  not  be  responsible,  but  when  you  admit 
that  you  see,  you  are  responsible;  your  sin  re- 
mains." 

Again  there  was  a  division  among  the  Jews 
over  his  words.  Many  of  them  said,  "He  has  a  de- 
mon. He  is  crazy;  why  listen  to  him."  Others 
said,  "These  are  not  the  teachings  of  one  possess- 
ed of  a  demon.  Such  an  one  can  not  open  the 
eyes  of  the  blind." 


191  — 


jI^T  was  now  the  Feast  of  the  Dedication  at  Je- 
rusalem, and  as  it  was  winter,  Jesus  was 
walking  in  Solomon's  porch  in  the  temple.  The 
Jews  came  about  him  and  said,  ''How  long  are 
you  going  to  keep  us  in  suspense?  If  you  are 
the  Messiah,  tell  us  so  plainly."  Jesus  replied: 
'*I  have  already  told  you,  and  you  do  not  believe 
me.  The  very  works  that  I  am  doing  in  my 
Father's  name,  ought  to  be  a  sufficient  proof  to 
you. 

"But  you  do  not  believe  because  you  are  not 
of  my  sheep.  My  sheep  hear  my  voice  and  I 
know  them  and  they  follow  me.  I  give  to  them 
the  timeless,  spiritual  Life.  They  shall  never 
perish  and  no  one  shall  snatch  them  out  of  my 
hand.  My  Father,  who  has  given  them  to  me, 
is  greater  than  all  and  no  one  is  able  to  take 
them  from  him. 

John  10 :  22-29. 


—  192  — 


** JK  E  that  does  not  enter  the  sheep  fold  by  the 
»  door,  but  chmbs  up  some  other  way,  is 
a  thief  and  a  robber.  The  shepherd  is  the  one 
that  enters  by  the  door  and  for  him  the  porter 
opens  the  door.  The  sheep  hear  his  voice;  he 
calls  his  own  by  name  and  leads  them  out.  When 
he  has  all  his  own  together,  he  goes  before  them 
and  the  sheep  follow,  for  they  know  his  voice. 
They  will  not  follow  a  stranger,  but  will  run  from 
him  because  they  do  not  know  the  voice  of  a 
stranger."  The  people  heard  these  words,  but 
they  did  not  understand  their  significance. 

Jesus  continued,  "I  am  the  shepherd  of  the 
sheep.  All  that  come  claiming  to  be  such,  are 
thieves  and  robbers,  but  the  sheep  do  not  recog- 
nize their  voice.  I  am  the  shepherd  of  men,  if 
any  man  comes  with  me,  he  can  go  in  and  come 
out  with  safety  and  find  pasture.  The  thief 
comes  only  to  steal,  to  kill,  and  to  destroy.  I 
come  that  they  may  have  Life,  and  that  they  may 
have  Life  abundantly. 

John  10 :  1-18. 

—  193  — 


"I  am  the  good  shepherd.  The  good  shepherd 
is  wilHng  to  lay  down  his  Hfe  for  his  sheep.  The 
hirehng  that  does  not  own  the  sheep,  when  he 
sees  a  wolf  coming,  leaves  the  sheep  and  runs 
away  while  the  wolf  kills  and  scatters  the  flock. 
He  runs  because  he  is  an  hireling  and  dbes  not 
really  care  for  the  sheep.  I  am  the  good  shep- 
herd. I  know  my  own,  and  my  own  know  me. 
I  know  the  Father  just  as  the  Father  knows  me. 
I  lay  down  my  life  for  my  sheep. 

"I  have  other  sheep  that  do  not  belong  to  this 
fold.  I  must  bring  them  also  and  they  will  hear 
my  voice  and  there  will  be  one  flock  and  one 
shepherd.  That  is  why  the  Father  loves  me, 
because  I  am  willing  to  lay  down  my  life.  No  one 
takes  it  away  from  me ;  I  lay  it  down  of  myself. 
I  have  power  to  lay  it  down  and  I  have  power  to 
take  it  again.  I  have  my  Father's  word  for  this. 
I  and  the  Father  are  one — " 


—  194  — 


A  GAIN  the  Jews  took  up  stones  to  stone  him. 
Jesus  said  to  them,  *'I  have  shown  you 
many  good  works  from  the  Father,  for  which  of 
these  works  do  you  stone  me?"  The  Jews  re- 
pHed,  "We  do  not  stone  you  for  the  good  works, 
but  because  of  your  blasphemy  because  you,  a 
man,  make  yourself  God." 

Jesus  asked  them:  "Is  it  not  written  in  the 
Ivaw,  7  said  ye  are  gods.'  If  he  called  them  gods, 
to  whom  the  words  of  Sovereign  Love  came,  and 
you  admit  that  the  scriptures  can  not  be  gainsaid, 
how  can  you  say  of  him  whom  the  Father  sanc- 
tified and  sent  into  the  w^orld,  'You  blaspheme?' 
Is  it  because  I  said,  *I  am  the  Son  of  God?'  If 
I  do  not  do  the  works  of  my  Father  do  not  be- 
lieve me;  but  if  I  do  the  works,  though  you  are 
unable  to  believe  me,  believe  that  the  works,  at 
least,  are  of  God.  If  you  believe  even  this  you 
will  come  to  understand  the  oneness  of  Sovereign 
Love  and  his  own  Love  Thought.    You  will  come 

John  10 :  30-42. 

—  195  — 


to  know  that  the  Father  is  in  me  and  that  I  am 
in  the  Father.'' 

Again  they  tried  to  seize  him,  but  he  slipped 
away  out  of  their  hands  and  this  time  went  away 
beyond  the  Jordan  into  the  region  where  John 
the  Baptist  began  his  preaching;  and  there  he 
abode.  Many  who  came  to  him,  said,  **John  in- 
deed gave  no  sign  of  power,  but  all  that  he  spake 
of  this  man  has  come  true,"  and  many  believed 
in  him. 


/TT  HERE  was  brought  to  him  a  man  that  was 
possessed  of  a  demon  as  well  as  being  blind 
and  dumb.  Jesus  healed  him  so  that  he  could  see 
and  speak  inteUigen'tly.  The  multitude  were 
amazed  and  said,  "This  man  is  more  than  a  nat- 
ural descendant  of  David."    But  when  the  Phar- 


Matthew  12:  22-32;  Mark  3:  22-30;  Luke  11:  14-23. 
—  196  — 


isees  heard  it  they  said,  "The  only  way  that  this 
man  can  cast  out  demons,  is  by  Beelzebub,  the 
prince  of  demons.''  Jesus  could  read  their 
thoughts,  so  he  said  to  them:  "How  can  Satan 
cast  out  Satan?  If  a  kingdom  is  divided  against 
itself  it  can  not  stand.  If  a  family  is  divided  it 
will  ruin  itself.  If  Satan  is  divided  against  him- 
self, how  can  his  kingdom  stand?  You  say  that 
I  cast  out  demons  by  Beelzebub.  All  right,  but 
your  sons  are  casting  out  demons ;  by  whom  do 
they  cast  them  out  ?    Let  them  bear  witness. 

"When  a  strong  man  fully  armed  guards  his 
house  his  goods  are  safe.  Another  can  not  enter 
his  house  and  take  his  goods  without  first  bind- 
ing the  strong  man.  But  when  one  comes  who  is 
stronger,  then  the  stronger  will  bind  the  other 
and  take  his  armor  wherein  he  trusted  and  carry 
off  his  goods.  If  I  by  the  power  of  Sovereign 
Love  cast  out  demons,  it  is  because  Sovereign 

Love  is  stronger  than  evil ;  and  the  supremacy  of 

—  197  — 


the  Spiritual  Law  of  Love  is  demonstrated  be- 
fore you. 

"He  that  is  not  with  me  is  against  me,  and  he 
that  does  not  gather  with  me  is  scattering.  The 
sons  of  men  may  commit  many  sins  and  they  will 
be  forgiven ;  but  when  a  man  charges  the  Son  of 
man  with  being  in  league  with  an  unclean  spirit, 
he  is  blaspheming  the  Love  Vitality  that  is  in 
him,  and  for  this  there  is  never  forgiveness;  he 
is  guilty  of  an  eternal  sin." 


^U  HILE  he  was  saying  these  things  a  woman 
in  the  crowd  spoke  up  and  said,  *'Blesised 
is  the  woman  that  bore  you."  But  Jesus  said, 
''Much  more  blessed  are  they  that  are  sensitive 
to  the  call  of  Sovereign  Love  and  trustingly  obey 
him." 


Matthew  12:  38-42;  Luke  11:  27-32. 
—  198  — 


Then  some  Pharisees  and  scribes  that  were 
present  again  urged  Jesus  to  show  some  sign  of 
his  authority.  Jesus  replied:  ''This  is  an  evil 
and  a  faithless  generation,  forever  seeking  after 
a  sign;  but  no  warning  shall  be  given  them,  but 
the  sign  of  the  prophet  Jonah.  Just  as  Jonah  was 
three  days  and  three  nights  in  the  whale's  belly 
as  a  warning  to  the  Ninevites,  so  shall  the  Son  of 
man  be  three  days  in  the  grave  as  a  sign  to  this 
generation.  The  men  of  Ninevah  shall  condemn 
this  generation  in  the  day  of  judgment,  for  they 
repented  at  the  preaching  of  Jonah,  but  now  a 
greater  than  Jonah  is  here.  The  Queen  of  Sheba 
shall  condemn  this  generation,  for  she  came  from 
the  ends  of  the  earth  to  hear  the  wisdom  of  Sol- 
omon and  here  is  One  greater  than  Solomon.'' 


—  199  — 


A  Pharisee  asked  Jesus  to  dinner  and  he  went 
in  with  him  and  sat  at  table.  The  Phari- 
see noticed  that  he  did  not  wash  his  hands  before 
eating  and  Jesus,  who  could  read  his  thoughts, 
said :  ''You  Pharisees  are  very  particular  to 
cleanse  the  outside,  but  within  you  are  full  of  ex- 
tortion and  wickedness.  How  foolish  you  are. 
Did  not  he  that  made  the  outside,  make  the  inside 
also?  If  you  cleanse  the  inner  life,  all  will  be 
wholly  clean.  The  way  to  cleanse  the  inner  life 
is  to  learn  to  be  generous  with  the  things  that  you 
have ;  learn  to  follow  the  Law  of  Love,  and  you 
will  be  surprised  to  see  how  quickly  all  becomes 
clean.  But  you  must  watch  out  for  one  thing. 
When  an  unclean  spirit  has  gone  out  of  a  man,  he 
wanders  about  in  a  dry  land,  seeking  rest  and 
finding  none.  He  recalls  how  comfortable  his 
old  tenement  was  and  says  to  himself,  *I  will  re- 
turn to  the  old  place.'  When  he  comes  to  it,  he 
finds  it  swept  and  clean.  Then  he  goes  and  in- 
vite;s  seven  other  spirits  more  wicked  than  him- 


Matthew  12:  43-45;  Luke  11 :  24-26,  37-41. 
—  200  — 


self  and  together  they  enter  and  take  possession. 
In  the  end  that  man's  condition  is  worse  than  it 
was  at  first." 


Tjfjft  HEN  Jesus  left  the  house  one  of  those  wait- 
ing outside  came  to  him  and  said:  "Mas- 
ter, will  you  make  my  brother  divide  the  inheri- 
tance with  me?"  Jesus  repHed;  "Man,  who  made 
me  a  referee  over  your  affairs?  Be  careful  to 
keep  yourself  from  covetousness,  for  a  man's  life 
does  not  consist  in  the  abundance  of  the  things 
that  he  possesses.    Let  me  tell  you  a  parable. 

"Once  there  was  a  rich  man  whose  estate  pro- 
duced abundantly.  He  reasoned  to  himself,  say-, 
ing,  'What  shall  I  do?  I  do  not  have  room 
enough  to  store  my  harvests.  I  will  pull  down 
my  barns  and  build  larger  ones  where  I  can  store 
away  my  grain  and  my  property.  I  will  congrat- 
ulate my  soul  and  say,  'Soul,  you  have  ample 

Luke  12:  13-21. 

—  201  — 


store  for  years  to  come.  Now  is  the  time  for 
you  to  take  your  ease,  to  eat,  drink  and  be  merry.' 
"But  Sovereign  Love  said  to  him,  *You  foolish 
one.  This  night  your  life  will  be  required  of 
you;  and  whose  will  be  the  things  that  you  have 
in  store?'  So  is  every  one  that  lays  up  treasure 
for  himself  and  has  no  riches  in  the  keeping  of 
Sovereign  Love." 


A  FTERWARD  being  alone  with  his  disciples 
he  said :  *'Do  not  be  afraid,  my  little  flock. 
It  is  your  Father's  good  pleasure  to  give  you  the 
riches  of  the  Spiritual  Realm.  Sell  the  things 
that  you  have  and  give  to  the  needy.  Make  for 
yourselves  purses  that  do  not  grow  old;  lay  up 
your  treasure  in  the  Spiritual  Realm  where  it  will 
be  perfectly  safe,  where  thieves  never  enter  and 
where  moths  never  destroy;  and  where  your 
treasure  is,  there  will  your  heart  be  also. 


Matthew  24:  45-51 ;  Luke  12:  32-48. 
—  202  — 


''Have  your  clothing  on  and  the  lamps  burning. 
Be  like  servants  who  are  expecting  the  return  of 
their  master,  so  that  when  he  knocks  they  will  be 
ready  to  open  the  door.  Blessed  are  those  ser- 
vants, whom  their  master,  when  he  returns,  will 
find  watching.  He  will  be  glad  to  have  them  sit 
down  to  their  supper  while  he,  himself,  waits  on 
them.  If  the  master  of  the  house  knew  when  the 
thief  would  come,  he  would  watch  and  not  let  his 
house  be  broken  into.  You  must  be  ready,  also, 
for  in  an  hour  when  you  least  expect  him,  the 
Son  of  man  will  come." 

Peter  said,  "Master  are  you  speaking  this  par- 
able to  us  especially,  or  is  it  meant  for  everyone  ?" 
Jesus  replied,  "Who  then  is  the  faithful  and  wise 
steward,  whom  his  master  shall  set  over  his 
household  to  deal  out  the  supplies?  Blessed  is 
that  servant,  whom  his  master,  when  he  returns 
shall  find  so  employed.  He  is  the  kind  of  a  ser- 
vant that  he  will  promote  to  the  highest  place. 

"But  if  the  servant  shall  say  in  his  heart,  the 

master  will  be  late  in  returning  and  begins  to 

—  203  — 


beat  the  other  servants  and  to  eat  and  drink  to 
excess,  the  master  will  be  sure  to  come  when  he 
is  least  expected  and  will  punish  that  unfaithful 
servant  and  put  him  among  those  that  he  can  not 
trust. 

"The  servant  that  knew  his  master's  orders, 
but  failed  to  carry  them  out,  will  be  beaten  with 
many  stripes.  But  the  servant  that  was  ignorant 
of  the  master's  wishes  and  then  unwittingly  did 
something  worthy  of  punishment,  he  will  be  pun- 
ished lightly.  To  whom  much  is  given,  much  will 
be  expected  and  from  him  to  whom  much  has 
been  entrusted,  much  will  be  required." 


^1 J  HEN  he  was  with  the  multitude  again  he 
said,  "When  you  see  a  cloud  rising  in  the 
West,  you  say  at  once  there  is  a  shower  coming, 
and  so  it  happens.  When  you  notice  a  south 
wind  blowing,  you  say  there  will  be  a  scorching 

Luke  12:  54-59. 

—  204  — 


heat,  and  so  it  happens.  Oh,  you  pretenders ! 
You  know  how  to  read  the  face  of  the  sky  and 
the  earth,  but  you  pay  no  attention  to  the  signs 
of  the  times.  You  do  not  know  even  how  to 
judge  between  yourselves,  but  must  bring  your 
adversary  to  the  court.  If  you  were  wise,  you 
would  settle  these  disputes  as  they  arise,  lest  the 
judge  decide  against  you  and  you  are  cast  into 
prison  where  you  will  have  to  pay  the  full  pen- 
alty." 


jCLOME  one  told  Jesus  about  the  Galileans, 
whose  blood  Pilate  mingled  with  their  sac- 
rifices. Jesus  said  to  them,  "Do  you  think  that 
these  Galileans  were  any  more  sinners  than  the 
rest  because  they  suffered  these  things?  I  tell 
you,  no !  and  unless  you  repent  you  will  all  per- 
ish. How  about  the  eighteen,  upon  whom  the 
tower  of  Saloam  fell  and  killed  them?  Do  you 
think  that  they  were  offenders  above  all  the  rest 

Luke  13:  1-9. 

—  205  — 


that  dwell  in  Jerusalem  ?  I  tell  you,  no !    But  un- 
less you  repent  you  will  all  perish." 

Then  Jesus  spoke  this  parable.  ''A  man  had  a 
fig  tree  in  his  garden  and  at  the  right  season  came 
to  get  the  fruit,  but  found  none.  He  said  to  the 
gardener :  *I  have  come  these  three  years  to  get 
fruit  from  this  fig  tree  and  have  never  found  any. 
Cut  it  down,  why  should  it  be  in  the  way  of  bet- 
ter trees  ?  The  gardner  said ;  Xet  it  stay  this  year 
and  I  will  dig  about  it  and  give  it  some  manure. 
If  it  then  bears  fruit  well  and  good,  but  if  not, 
we  will  cut  it  down.'  " 


/ift  ^'^  sabbath  Jesus  was  teaching  in  one  of 
the  synagogues,  and  a  woman  was  present 
who  had  been  a  confirmed  invalid  for  eighteen 
years.  She  was  bent  over  and  could  not  straight- 
en herself.  Jesus  noticed  her  and  laid  his  hands 
on  her,  saying,  "Woman,  you  are  free  from  your 

Luke  13:  10-17. 

—  206  — 


infirmity."  Immediately  she  stood  up  erect  and 
glorified  Sovereign  Love. 

The  president  of  the  synagogue  was  indignant 
that  Jesus  should  have  done  it  on  the  sabbath. 
He  said  to  the  people:  ''There  are  six  days  in 
which  men  ought  to  work.  If  you  want  to  be 
healed  you  should  come  on  one  of  these  days  and 
not  come  on  the  sabbath." 

But  Jesus  answered  him,  "Oh  you  humbug! 
Would  not  any  one  of  you  unloose  his  ox  on  the 
sabbath  day  and  lead  him  to  water?  Here  is  a 
daughter  of  Abraham,  whom  Satan  has  bound 
these  eighteen  years,  ought  she  not  to  be  freed 
even  if  it  is  the  sabbath  day?"  His  adversaries 
were  put  to  shame,  but  the  people  rejoiced  to 
see  all  the  wonderful  things  that  he  was  doing. 


—  207  — 


JQ  AY  by  day  Jesus  went  from  village  to  vil- 
lage teaching  and  healing  the  sick.  One 
day  some  one  asked  him  if  it  was  true  that  only 
a  few  were  to  be  saved.  Jesus  replied:  "You 
must  strive  to  enter,  for  the  door  is  narrow  and, 
I  tell  you  seriously,  only  a  few  of  the  many  who 
would  like  to  enter,  will  be  able  to  do  so. 

"The  time  will  come  when  the  Master  of  the 
house  will  close  the  door  and  then  those  of  you 
who  are  without  will  gather  and  knock,  saying, 
'Lord,  open  to  us.'  The  Master  of  the  house  will 
say  to  you,  *I  do  not  recognize  you.'  You  will 
answer,  'Why,  we  used  to  eat  and  drink  with  you 
and  you  taught  in  our  streets.'  But  the  Master 
will  say,  *I  do  not  recognize  you,  go  away,  you 
are  wicked  men.' 

"There  will  be  anguish  of  heart  when  you  see 
Abraham  and  Isaac  and  Jacob  and  all  the  proph- 
ets resting  in  the  Spiritual  Realm  and  yourselves 
shut  out.  Others  will  come  from  the  East  and 
West  and  the  North  and  the  South  and  will  rest 

Luke  13:  22-30. 

—  20s  — 


with  them  in  the  Spiritual  Realm.  There  are 
those  that  seem  to  be  last  now,  who  will  be  first 
then,  and  some  who  seem  to  be  first  now  will  be 
last  then." 


jgg^OME  Pharisees  came  to  Jesus  and  warned 
^^  him  that  Herod  would  be  only  too  glad  to 
have  him  killed,  and  advised  him  to  leave  that 
part  of  the  country.  Jesus'  reply  to  them  was, 
'*Go  and  tell  that  sly  fox  that  I  propose  to  cast 
out  demons  and  heal  sick  people  today  and  to- 
morrow and  the  third  day  my  work  will  be  fin- 
ished. I  shall  journey  on  today  and  tomorrow 
and  the  day  following  I  will  be  in  Jerusalem,  for 
it  would  not  do  for  a  prophet  to  perish  outside 
the  city." 

Luke  13:  31-33. 


—  209  — 


/|P|  NE  sabbath  Jesus  was  invited  to  the  house 
of  a  prominent  Pharisee  to  dine  with  him 
and,  as  usual,  they  were  on  the  watch  for  some- 
thing that  they  could  bring  up  against  Jesus  later 
on. 

Among  those  that  crowded  into  the  court  was 
a  man  suffering  from  dropsy  and  when  Jesus 
saw  him  he  asked  the  chief  lawyers  and  Phari- 
sees, ''Is  it  lawful  to  heal  on  the  sabbath,  or  not?" 
As  they  kept  silent,  Jesus  took  the  sick  man  and 
healed  him  and  let  him  go.  Then  he  said  to  them, 
''If  one  of  you  had  a  son  who  fell  into  a  pit  on 
the  sabbath,  would  you  not  get  him  out  just  as 
quickly  as  possible?"  The  Pharisees  remained 
silent  as  there  was  nothing  to  say. 

Jesus  noticed  that  the  guests  to  the  dinner  were 
anxious  to  secure  the  best  seats  and  so  he  told 
them  a  parable.  "If  anyone  invites  you  to  a  mar- 
riage feast  do  not  sit  down  in  the  most  prominent 
seat,  because  it  may  happen  that  a  more  import- 
ant man  has  been  invited  and  the  host  will  be 

lyuke  14:  1-24. 

—  210  — 


obliged  to  come  to  you  and  ask  you  to  give  up 
your  seat.  You  will  feel  very  much  ashamed 
then  to  have  to  take  a  back  seat. 

"When  you  are  invited  to  a  feast,  it  is  very 
much  better  to  take  a  poorer  seat  and  then  when 
the  host  notices  it,  he  will  come  to  you  and  say, 
'My  friend,  you  must  come  and  sit  by  me,'  and 
you  will  be  honored  before  them  all.  For  every- 
one that  exalts  himself  will  be  put  to  shame  and 
every  one  that  humbles  himself  will  be  exalted." 

Jesus  turned  to  his  host  and  said,  "When  you 
give  a  feast  you  ought  not  to  invite  your  special 
friends,  or  relatives,  or  rich  neighbors,  for  they 
will  in  turn  invite  you  and  it  will  be  simply  an 
exchange;  you  will  lose  the  privilege  and  the 
pleasure  of  giving. 

"When  you  give  a  feast  invite  the  poor,  the 

defective,  the  lame,  and  the  blind.    Then  you  will 

be  blessed,  for  they  will  have  nothing  with  which 

to  repay  you,  and  your  recompense  will  come  in 

being  fitted  to  transcend  this  natural  life  and  to 

enter  the  higher  Spiritual  Life  of  the  good. 
—  211  — 


One  of  the  guests  when  he  heard  this,  said, 
"The  man  is  blest  indeed  that  shall  enter  the  Spir- 
itual Realm."  Jesus  turned  to  him  and  related 
the  following  parable. 

''There  was  a  man  once,  who  made  a  great  ban- 
quet to  which  he  invited  many.  As  the  time  drew 
near  he  sent  his  servants  to  bid  them  come,  for 
everything  was  ready.  With  one  consent  they 
all  began  to  make  excuse.  The  first  said,  'I  have 
bought  a  field  and  must  go  and  see  it.  Will  you 
please  excuse  me.'  Another  said,  'I  have  bought 
five  yoke  of  oxen  and  must  go  and  try  them. 
You  must  excuse  me.'  Still  another  said,  'I  have 
married  a  wife  and  therefore  can  not  come.' 

"Then  the  host  was  quite  angry  and  said  to  the 
servants,  'Go  out  quickly  into  the  streets  and  the 
courts  of  the  city  and  bring  in  the  poor  and  the 
defective  and  the  lame  and  the  blind.  The  serv- 
ants soon  returned  and  reported  that  it  had  been 
done  and  still  there  was  room.  Then  the  host 
told  the  servants  to  go  out  into  the  highways  and 

persuade  any  one  to  come  in,  in  order  that  the 

—  212  — 


tables  might  be  filled.  I  tell  you  not  one  of  the 
invited  guests  who  failed  to  come  shall  have  a 
second  chance  to  a  seat  at  my  table." 

JTr  HERE  were  always  tax  collectors  and  other 
notoriously  wicked  men  about  Jesus  and 
this  led  the  Pharisees  and  scribes  to  complain  that 
Jesus  associated  and  even  ate  with  wicked  men. 
Jesus  knew  what  they  were  thinking,  and  so  he 
told  them  this  parable. 

*'If  one  of  you  had  a  hundred  sheep  and  lost 
one,  would  you  not  leave  the  ninety  and  nine  to 
go  in  search  of  the  missing  one  until  it  was 
found?  When  it  was  found  you  would  lay  it  on 
your  shoulders  and  return  rejoicing.  When  you 
reached  home  you  would  call  together  your 
friends  and  neighbors  and  tell  them  about  it  and 
ask  them  to  rejoice  with  you,  because  you  had 
found  the  sheep  that  was  lost.  I  want  to  tell  you 
that  there  is  just  the  same  rejoicing  in  the  Spir- 
itual Realm  over  one  sinner  that  repents.   There 


Luke  15. 

—  213  — 


is  even  more  joy  over  him  than  over  the  ninety 
nine  good  people  that  need  no  repentance. 

**If  a  woman  have  ten  coins  and  lose  one,  does 
she  not  light  a  lamp  and  sweep  the  house  in  her 
search  for  it?  And  when  she  finds  it  she  calls 
her  friends  and  neighbors  together  and  tells  them 
about  it  and  asks  them  to  rejoice  with  her,  be- 
cause the  lost  coin  is  found.  In  just  the  same 
way  there  is  joy  among  the  angels  of  Sovereign 
Love  over  one  sinner  who  repents." 


Ji  ESUS  continued,  "Once  there  was  a  man 
who  had  two  sons.  The  younger  of  the 
sons  said  to  the  father,  'Father,  are  you  wilHng 
to  give  me  now  the  portion  of  your  property  that 
would  fall  to  me  ?'  The  father  was  willing  to  do 
so  and  divided  his  property,  giving  his  portion 
to  the  younger  son.  Very  soon  after,  the  young 
man  sold  off  his  share  and  went  away  to  a  far 
country  and  there  he  wasted  his  money  in  de- 
bauchery. 

—  214  — 


"In  time  he  had  spent  all  that  he  had,  and  be- 
gan to  be  hungry  and  in  utter  want.  Then  he 
hired  himself  out  to  a  farmer,  who  treated  him 
shamefully  and  sent  him  into  the  fields  to  herd 
swine.  Many  a  day  he  would  gladly  have  eaten 
the  pods  that  the  swine  were  eating,  and  no  one 
cared  for  him. 

''At  last  it  came  over  him,  what  a  foolish  son 
he  had  been.  He  said :  'How  many  servants  of 
my  father  have  plenty  to  eat  and  to  spare,  while 
I  am  perishing  with  hunger.  I  will  return  to  my 
father  and  will  tell  him  that  I  have  sinned  and 
have  been  very  foolish.  I  will  tell  him  that  I 
don't  deserve  to  be  called  his  son  any  more  and 
will  ask  him  to  let  me  be  as  one  of  his  hired  ser- 
vants.' 

"So  he  returned  to  his  father,  but  while  he  was 
a  great  way  off  his  father  saw  him  coming  and 
hurried  to  meet  him.  He  gave  him  a  warm  wel- 
come because  he  had  always  loved  him.  The  boy 
said  to  him,  'Father  I  have  sinned  and  have  been 

very  foolish  and  don't  deserve  to  be  called  your 

—  215  — 


son  any  more — '  but  the  father  interrupted  him  by 
calHng  out  a  servant  and  telHng  him  to  hurry  and 
bring  a  new  suit  of  clothes  and  shoes  and  jewelry. 
To  another  servant  he  said,  *Go,  prepare  a  feast ; 
get  the  best  things  you  can.  Let  us  eat  and  re- 
joice, for  I  thought  this  boy,  my  son,  was  dead, 
and  he  is  alive.  He  was  lost  and  is  found.'  And 
they  all  rejoiced. 

''While  this  was  happening  the  elder  son 
was  at  a  distant  field  and  as  he  drew  near  the 
house  on  his  return,  he  heard  the  music  and  the 
rejoicing.  He  called  a  servant  and  asked  the 
meaning  of  it  all.  The  servant  said,  'Your  broth- 
er has  come  back  and  your  father  has  provided 
a  feast  to  celebrate  his  return  and  to  show  his 
gladness,  because  he  has  received  him  safe  and 
sound.' 

''The   elder   son   did  not   like   it   and   became 

angry.    He  refused  to  enter  the  house  and  so  the 

father  came  out  and  urged  him  to  come  in  and 

welcome  his  brother.     But  the  elder  said  to  his 

father,  'All  these  years  I  have  staid  at  home  and 

—  216  — 


worked  for  you  and  always  did  whatever  your 
commanded  me.  You  never  gave  me  so  much  as 
a  kid  that  I  could  have  a  good  time  with  my 
friends.  Now  when  this  son  of  yours  comes 
back,  after  having  wasted  your  property  with 
fast  women,  you  get  up  a  great  feast  for  him. 
It  isn't  fair.' 

"  'My  son !'  said  the  father,  'It  is  true,  you  have 
always  been  with  me  and  all  that  I  have  will  some 
day  be  yours.  But  now,  it  is  right  to  rejoice  and 
be  glad,  for  your  brother  whom  we  thought  to 
be  dead,  is  alive.    He  was  lost  and  is  found.'  " 


/^  HEN  Jesus  told  to  his  disciples  another  par- 
able. "There  was  a  rich  man  who  had  a 
dishonest  steward,  of  whom  it  was  reported  that 
he  was  wasting  the  estate.  So  the  rich  man  call- 
ed for  him  and  said,  'What  is  this  that  I  hear 
about  you?  You  must  give  me  a  statement  of 
your  account  as  I  shall  no  longer  require  your 

Luke  1 6. 

—  217  — 


services.'  The  steward  said  to  himself:  'What  is 
the  best  thing  for  me  to  do  now  that  I  am  losing 
my  position  ?  I  am  not  strong  enough  to  do  phys- 
ical labor  and  I  am  ashamed  to  beg.  Ah,  I  know 
what  I  will  do.  I  will  make  friends  with  my  mas- 
ter's debtors  and  place  them  under  obligation  to 
me,  so  that  when  I  leave  this  position,  they  will 
receive  me  into  their  homes.' 

*'So  he  called  for  each  one  of  his  master's  debt- 
ors and  to  the  first  he  said,  'How  much  do  you 
owe  my  master?'  He  repHed,  'A  hundred  barrels 
of  oil.'  The  Steward  said,  'Take  your  bill  and 
change  it  quickly,  to  read  fifty  barrels.'  To  an- 
other he  said,  'How  much  are  you  owing?'  The 
debtor  replied,  'I  am  owing  a  hundred  bushels  of 
wheat.'  'Take  your  bill  and  change  it  to  read 
eighty  bushels,'  said  the  steward. 

"When  the  rich  man  heard  of  it,  he  gave  the 
dishonest  steward  credit  for  the  cleverness  of  the 
fraud." 

Jesus  said,  "Worldly  people  are  often  shrewd- 
er in  their  way  of  doing  things  than  are  spiritual- 

—  218  — 


ly-minded  people.  I  give  you  this  advice.  You 
know  that  wealth  is  a  constant  source  of  tempta- 
tion. You  must  be  very  wise  and  use  it  in  such 
a  way  that  you  will  make  friends  of  him  who  will 
be  able,  when  you  die,  to  welcome  you  into  the 
eternal  mansions. 

"He  that  is  faithful  in  very  little  things  will 
be  faithful  in  larger  things.  He  that  is  dishonest 
in  trifling  amounts  will  be  dishonest  in  larger 
sums.  If  you  have  not  been  faithful  to  your 
spiritual  ideals  in  the  use  of  wealth,  who  will  en- 
trust to  your  keeping  the  true  riches? 

"If  you  have  not  been  faithful  in  the  use  of 
wealth  that  belongs  to  the  natural  realm,  how  can 
you  be  trusted  with  the  true  riches  of  the  Spir- 
itual Realm,  which  might  be  your  own  ?  No  ser- 
vant can  serve  two  masters.  Either  he  will  hate 
the  one  and  love  the  other,  or  else  he  will  be 
faithful  to  one  and  unfaithful  to  the  other.  You 
can  not  serve  Sovereign  Love  and  the  god  of 
wealth." 

—  219  — 


When  the  Pharisees,  who  are  lovers  of  money, 
heard  this  they  jeered  at  him,  and  Jesus  said  to 
them,  ''You  are  the  kind  that  make  a  fair  show 
in  the  sight  of  men,  but  Sovereign  Love  reads 
the  heart  and  he  whom  men  often  exalt,  may  be 
detestable  to  Sovereign  Love. 

"The  Law  and  the  Prophets  were  paramount 
until  the  time  of  John.  From  that  time  the  Good 
News  of  the  Spiritual  Realm  has  been  spreading. 
Men  are  struggling  to  take  advantage  of  it  and 
neglecting  the  old  Law.  But  it  is  easier  for  the 
heavens  and  earth  to  pass  away  than  for  the  mor- 
al law  to  be  set  aside. 


^^/TF  ^^^^  ^v^s  once  a  rich  man  who  was  cloth- 
ed in  purple  and  fine  linen  and  who  lived 
sumptuously  every  day.  A  beggar  who  was  nam- 
ed Lazarus  and  who  was  covered  with  loathsome 
sores  was  brought  and  left  at  the  rich  man's  gate. 

He  hoped  to   receive   some   fragments   of   food 

—  220  — 


from  the  rich  man's  table.  It  happened  that  the 
beggar  died  and  went  to  heaven  and  the  rich  man 
died  and  went  to  hades. 

"There  in  torment,  the  rich  man  lifted  up  his 
eyes  and  afar  off  saw  Lazarus  resting  on  Abra- 
ham's bosom.  He  cried  out  saying,  'Father  Abra- 
ham, have  mercy  on  me.  Send  Lazarus  to  bring 
me  even  a  drop  of  water  on  the  tip  of  his  finger, 
to  cool  my  tongue,  for  I  am  in  anguish  in  this 
flame.' 

"Abraham  said,  'Remember,  son,  that  you  re- 
ceived your  good  things  during  your  lifetime, 
while  Lazarus  was  receiving  evil  things.  Now  he 
is  being  comforted  and  you  are  in  anguish.  Be- 
sides all  this,  there  is  a  great  gulf  fixed  between 
us,  so  that  no  one  can  cross  from  us  to  you,  or 
from  you  to  us.' 

"The  rich  man  then  said,  'I  pray  you  father 

Abraham,  that  you  send  to  my   father's  house 

where  I  have  five  brothers  and  warn  them  lest 

they  too,  come  to  this  place  of  torment.'     But 

Abraham  said,  'They  have  Moses  and  the  Proph- 

—  221  — 


ets,  let  them  heed  them.'  The  man  repHed,  'No, 
father  Abraham,  they  do  not  pay  any  attention 
to  them,  but  if  one  come  from  the  dead,  they  will 
repent.'  Abraham  said,  'If  they  will  not  listen 
to  Moses  and  obey  the  Law  and  the  Prophets, 
neither  will  they  be  persuaded  though  one  rise 
from  the  dead." 


Ji  N  the  town  of  Bethany  there  lived  a  man 
named  Lazarus.  He  was  a  brother  of  the 
listers  Martha  and  Mary,  whom  Jesus  loved,  and 
Mary  was  the  one  who  afterward  anointed  the 
feet  of  Jesus  with  ointment  and  dried  them  with 
her  hair. 

Lazarus  was  very  sick  and  the  sisters  sent  word 
to  Jesus  saying,  ''Master,  our  brother,  whom  you 
love,  is  sick."  When  Jesus  heard  the  message,  he 
said,  "This  sickness  is  not  unto  death,  but  that 
by  it  Sovereign  Love  may  be  glorified  and  his  Son 
also."    Jesus  remained  in  the  place  where  he  was 

John  II :  1-46. 

—  222  — 


for  two  days  and  then  said  to  his  disciples,  "Let 
us  return  now  to  Judea." 

The  disciples  reminded  him  how  short  a  time 
it  was  since  the  Jews  had  sought  to  stone  him 
and  asked  if  he  really  intended  to  return  there. 
Jesus  said,  "Are  there  not  twelve  hours  of  day- 
light? If  a  man  walk  in  the  daytime  he  will  not 
stumble  because  he  has  the  sun-light.  It  is  only 
when  a  man  has  no  inner  light  to  enlighten  him 
that  he  stumbles." 

Then  he  said,  "I  am  going  to  see  our  friend 

Lazarus.    He  has  fallen  asleep  and  I  am  going  to 

waken  him."     One  of  the  disciples  said,  "If  he 

has  fallen  asleep  he  will  probably  recover."  They 

had  misunderstood  Jesus'  meaning.    He  spoke  of 

his  death,  but  they  thought  that  he  meant  that  he 

was  resting  in  sleep.     Then  Jesus  said  plainly, 

"Lazaraus  is  dead  and  I  am  glad  for  your  sakes 

that  I  was  not  there.    Now  you  will  believe  when 

you  see  his  recovery.    Let  us  go  to  him."  Thomas 

said  to  the  other  disciples,  "Let  us  go  with  him. 

Even  if  he  dies,  we  will  die  with  him." 

—  223  — 


Jtttf  HEN  Jesus  reached  Bethany  they  found 
that  Lazarus  had  been  buried  four  days 
and,  as  Jerusalem  was  only  about  two  miles  dis- 
tant, many  of  the  Jews  had  come  from  there  to 
sympathize  with  Martha  and  Mary  because  of 
the  death  of  their  brother. 

When  Martha  heard  that  Jesus  was  coming 
she  left  Mary  in  the  house  and  went  to  meet  him. 
Martha  said  to  Jesus,  ''Master,  if  you  had  been 
here,  my  brother  would  not  have  died ;  and,  even 
now,  I  know  that  whatever  you  ask  of  God,  God 
will  give  you." 

Jesus   said  to  her,   "Your  brother  shall   live 

again."  Martha  said,  ''I  know  that  he  will  rise 

again  in  the  resurrection  at  the  last  day."    Jesus 

said  to  her,  "Martha,  I  am  the  resurrection  and 

Life.     He  that  trustingly  believes  in  me,  though 

he  die  physically,  yet  shall  he  Live.     Whoever, 

while  he  is  living,  believes  in  me,  shall  never  lose 

his  conscious  existence.     Do  you  really  believe 

this  Martha?" 

—  224  — 


"Yes,  Master,"  she  said,  "I  believe  that  you 
are  the  Son  of  God,  the  long  promised  Messiah, 
that  is  to  come  into  the  world."  Then  Martha 
left  him  and  returned  to  the  house  and  whispered 
to  Mary  that  Jesus  had  come  and  had  asked  for 
her.  Mary  left  the  house  at  once  and  went  to 
him.  He  was  still  waiting  just  outside  the  vil- 
lage where  he  had  talked  with  Martha. 

The  Jews  who  were  in  the  house,  when  they 
saw  Mary  leave  the  house  hurriedly,  followed 
her,  supposing  that  she  was  going  to  the  tomb  to 
weep.  When  Mary  came  to  where  Jesus  was, 
she  fell  at  his  feet  weeping  and  said,  "Master, 
if  you  had  only  been  here,  my  brother  would  not 
have  died." 

When  Jesus  saw  Mary  and  the  Jews  who  had 
come  with  her  all  weeping,  he  was  greatly  moved. 
He  sympathized  with  their  sorrow,  but  was  dis- 
appointed and  indignant  that  they  should  have 
so  little  faith.  "Where  have  you  laid  him?"  he 
asked.     They  replied,  "Come  and  we  will  show 

you." 

—  225  — 


Then  Jesus  burst  into  tears.  When  the  Jews 
saw  this,  they  said,  ''See,  what  great  affection  he 
had  for  him."  But  some  of  them  said,  "Could  not 
this  man,  who  was  able  to  open  the  eyes  of  a  blind 
man, — could  he  not  have  prevented  the  death  of 
his  friend?"  When  Jesus  heard  this,  he  was 
again  moved  with  indignation  that  their  belief 
should  be  wholly  neutralized  by  doubt. 

The  tomb  was  a  cave  and  a  great  stone  lay 
against  the  opening.  Jesus  told  them  to  take 
away  the  stone.  "But  Master,"  said  Martha, 
"he  has  been  dead  four  days  and  by  this  time  the 
body  has  begun  to  decay."  Jesus  said  to  her, 
"Did  I  not  tell  you  that  if  you  would  only  believe, 
you  would  see  the  glory  of   Sovereign  Love?" 

Then  they  took  away  the  stone.     Jesus  lifted 

his  eyes  and  said,  "Father  I  thank  you  for  having 

heard  me.    I  knew  that  you  would  hear  me,  you 

always  do,  but  I  thank  you  especially  because  of 

these  standing  here,  that  they  may  believe  that 

you  have  sent  me."     After  this  word  of  prayer, 

—  226  — 


Jesus  cried  in  a  loud  voice,  'Xazarus,  come 
forth." 

At  once,  he  that  was  dead  came  out  of  the 
tomb.  He  came  just  as  he  was,  bound  hand  and 
foot  with  burial  clothes  and  his  face  was  covered 
with  a  towel.  "Take  away  the  bandages,"  said 
Jesus,  "and  let  him  move  freely." 

Because  of  this  wonderful  deed  many  of  the 
Jews  that  had  come  to  sympathize  with  Martha 
and  Mary,  believed  in  Jesus,  but  some  of  them 
returned  to  Jerusalem  and  reported  to  the  Phari- 
sees the  things  that  Jesus  had  done. 


/?r  HE  chief  priests  and  Pharisees  called  a  coun- 
cil and  said,  "What  shall  we  do  ?  This  man 
is  certainly  doing  wonderful  things.  If  we  per- 
mit him  to  continue,  every  one  will  believe  on 
him  and  the  Romans  will  come  and  destroy  our 
city  and  our  nation."  Caiphas,  the  high  priest  that 
year,  said,  "You  do  no  appreciate  the  seriousness 

John  II :  47-54. 

—  227  — 


of  the  situation.  It  is  better  for  all  that  one  man 
should  die  for  the  people,  instead  of  the  whole 
nation  being  destroyed."  Strange  to  say  the  high 
priest  by  these  words  had  unconsciously  made  a 
prophecy  that  Jesus  was  to  die  for  his  nation  and 
not  for  this  nation  only,  but  to  gather  together 
the  scattered  children  of  Sovereign  Love  out  of 
all  nations. 

From  that  day  they  tried  harder  than 
ever  to  put  Jesus  to  death,  and  because  of  it, 
Jesus  did  not  move  about  openly  any  longer 
among  the  Jews,  but  went  away  into  the  country 
of  Ephraim  near  the  wilderness  and  staid  there 
with  his  disciples. 


"JlfESUS  said  to  his  disciples:  "Offences  are 
bound  to  happen,  but  woe  to  him  through 
whom  they  come.  Every  evil  tends  to  become  the 
cause  of  a  greater  evil.  Woe  to  the  one  vdio 
starts  an  evil !    Woe  to  him  who  offends  one  of 

Ivuke  17:  i-io. 

—  228  — 


these  little  ones  who  is  trying  to  follow  the  Law 
of  Love !  It  were  better  for  him  that  a  millstone 
were  hung  about  his  neck  and  he  were  cast  into 
the  sea. 

"Take  heed  to  yourselves.  If  your  brother 
wrong  you,  rebuke  him,  but  do  it  kindly,  and  if 
he  repent  forgive  him.  If  he  wrongs  again  and 
again  always  forgive  him."  The  disciples  said  to 
him,  ''Master,  this  will  be  very  hard  to  do.  You 
must  increase  our  faith."  Jesus  said,  "If  you 
had  faith  you  could  do  harder  things  than  that. 
You  could  say  to  this  mulberry  tree,  'Be  torn  up 
and  cast  into  the  sea,'  and  it  would  be  done. 

"Nevertheless,  you  must  not  take    credit    to 

yourselves  for  forgiving  those  who  offend  you 

and  repent.    You  are  only  servants  and  ought  to 

be  glad  to  do  as  your  Master  wishes  you  to  do, 

without  expecting  especial  praise  for  doing  what 

is  your  simple  duty.     Supposing  one  of  you  had 

a  servant  who  was  doing  his  regular  work.  When 

he  comes  in  at  night  do  you  say  to  him,  'Come 

sit  down  to  supper  and  I  will  wait  on  you.'    Not 

—  229  — 


at  all,  you  expect  him  to  first  get  your  supper 
and  wait  on  you,  and  then  afterward  he  will 
get  his  own  supper.  Do  you  feel  called  upon  to 
praise  a  servant  for  doing  his  regular  duties  ?  Of 
course  not.  So  you,  when  you  have  done  all  that 
Love  requires,  must  still  feel  that  you  are  un- 
profitable servants,  that  you  have  only  done  that 
which  it  was  your  duty  to  do." 

One  day  as  he  was  passing  along  the  borders 
of  Samaria  and  Galilee,  just  as  he  was  entering 
a  village,  he  was  met  by  ten  lepers.  They  stood 
back  from  the  road  and  shouted  as  he  passed, 
"Jesus,  Master,  have  pity  on  us?"  When  Jesus 
saw  them  he  was  moved  with  sympathy  and  told 
them  to  report  to  the  priests.  As  they  went  on 
their  way,  they  were  cleansed.  One  of  them,  who 
by  the  way  was  a  Samaritan,  when  he  noticed 
that  he  was  cleansed,  immediately  turned  back 
and  with  a  loud  voice  glorified  God.  He  pros- 
trated himself  at  the  feet  of  Jesus  and  thanked 
him.    Jesus  said,  ''Were  there  not  ten  cleansed? 

Luke  17:  11-19. 

—  230  — 


Where  are  the  nine  ?  Was  this  alien  the  only  one 
to  return  and  give  glory  to  Sovereign  Love?" 
Then  he  turned  to  the  man  and  said,  "Get  up 
now  and  go  home,  your  grateful  faith  has  healed 
vou." 


Jlf  HE  Pharisees  asked  him  one  day  when  the 
Kingdom  of  God  would  come.  Jesus 
replied :  **The  Spiritual  Realm  does  not  come  vis- 
ibly. No  one  can  look  here  or  there  and  see  it, 
for  the  Spiritual  Realm  is  a  higher  order  of  real- 
ity than  the  natural,  and  is  only  apprehended 
within  you." 

Later  he  talked  freely  with  his  disciples  about 
the  coming  of  the  Spiritual  Realm.  He  said: 
''There  will  be  days  when  you  .will  long  for  the 
visible  presence  of  the  Son  of  man,  but  it  will  be 
in  vain.  Some  will  say,  'He  is  here !'  and  others 
will  say,  'He  is  there,'  but  do  not  trouble  to  fol- 
low them.     The  presence  of  the  Son  of  man  in 


Luke  17:  20-18:  8. 

—  231  — 


his  day  will  be  as  intangible  as  the  flash  of  light- 
ning, that  seems  to  be  in  all  parts  of  the  sky  at 
once. 

''The  Son  of  man  must  first  suffer  many  things' 
and  be  rejected  by  this  generation.  After  that 
the  day  of  the  Son  of  man  will  come  without 
warning.  It  will  be  as  in  the  days  of  Noah,  they 
ate,  they  drank,  they  married,  and  were  given  in 
marriage,  until  the  day  that  Noah  entered  into 
the  ark;  then  the  flood  came  and  destroyed  them 
all. 

"It  was  just  the  same  in  the  days  of  Lot. 
They  ate,  they  drank,  they  bought,  they  sold, 
they  planted,  they  builded;  but  in  the  day  that 
Lot  went  out,  it  rained  fire  and  sulphurous  vap- 
ors and  destroyed  them  all. 

'It  will  be  the  same  whenever  the  Son  of  man 

is  revealed.     If  you  seek  to  save  your  life,  you 

will  lose  it,  but  even  if  you  lose  your  physical 

life  in  trying  to  be  loyal  to  Love,  your  higher  and 

truer  Life  will  be  conserved.    The  disciples  were 

confused  and  alarmed.    They  said,  "When  will  it 

—  232  — 


be,  Master?"  Then,  to  encourage  them  to  pray 
and  not  to  be  disheartened,  he  told  them  this 
parable. 

**In  a  city  there  was  a  judge,  who  neither  re- 
spected man  nor  feared  God.  In  the  same  city 
was  a  widow  who  came  repeatedly  imploring  the 
judge  to  protect  her  from  an  enemy  that  perse- 
cuted her.  For  a  time  he  refused  to  do  anything, 
but  later  on  he  said  to  himself:  'Though  I  do 
not  fear  God  or  regard  men,  yet  because  this 
woman  continues  to  trouble  me,  I  will  aid  her, 
lest  she  tire  me  all  out  by  her  continued  coming.'  " 

Jesus  said:  "You  notice  that  the  wicked  judge 
protected  the  woman  that  importuned  him.  Do 
You  not  think  that  Sovereign  Love  will  protect 
his  elect  that  cry  unto  him  night  and  day?  He 
may  seem  to  be  slow  in  punishing  the  wicked, 
but  I  tell  you  he  will  most  speedily  protect  his 
own.  Yet  when  the  Son  of  man  comes,  how 
little  real  faith  he  will  find  among  men." 


233 


J|f  HEN  Jesus  told  them  this  parable,  "Two 
men  went  up  to  the  temple  to  pray.  One  was 
a  Pharisee  and  one  was  a  publican.  The  Pharisee 
stood  and  prayed  thus,  'God,  I  thank  thee  that 
I  am  not  as  other  men,  extortioners,  adulterers, 
and  unjust,  or  even  as  this  publican.  I  fast 
twice  a  week  and  I  give  tithes  of  all  that  I  get.' 
*'But  the  publican  stood  far  back  and  would 
not  lift  even  his  eyes  to  the  sky.  He  smote  his 
breast  and  said,  *God,  be  merciful  to  me,  a  sin- 
ner.' I  tell  you  this  man  went  away  with  his 
sins  forgiven  rather  than  the  first  man.  For 
every  man  that  exalts  himself  will  be  humbled 
and  he  that  humbles  himself   will  be  exalted." 


^' OME  Pharisees  came  to  Jesus  and  tried  to 
^^  get  him  to  say  something  for  which  he 
could  be  convicted.  They  asked  him,  *'Is  it 
lawful  for  a  man  to  divorce  his  wife?"     Jesus 


Luke  i8:  9-14. 

Matthew  19:3-12;   Mark  10:  2-12. 
—  234  — 


said,  "What  did  Moses  command  you?"  They 
said,  *'Moses  permitted  a  man  to  separate  from 
his  wife  by  giving  her  a  writ  of  divorcement." 

Jesus  said,  ''He  gave  this  commandment  be- 
cause of  the  stubbornness  of  your  hearts,  but  it 
was  not  so  in  the  beginning  when  Sovereign 
Love  created  them  male  and  female.  For  this 
reason  a  man  shall  leave  father  and  mother  and 
cleave  to  his  wife  and  the  two  shall  become  as 
one.  What,  therefore,  Sovereign  Love  has 
joined  together  let  not  man  part  asunder." 

Later    on    the    disciples    asked    him    privately 

about   it.     Jesus   only   made   it   more   emphatic, 

saying,  "Whoever  shall  put  away  his  wife  and 

marry   another,    commits    adultery ;   and    if    she 

puts  away  her  husband  and  marries  another,  she 

commits  adultery."     His  disciples  said,  "If  this 

is  true,  it  is  better  for  a  man  not  to  marry  at  all." 

Jesus  said,  "It  is  truly  difficult.    Only  those  who 

have  received  grace  to  bear  and  forbear  should 

marry.     There  are  some  who  are  disabled   for 

marriage  from  birth.    There  are  some  who  have 
—  235  — 


been  disabled  by  men,  and  there  are  those  who 
have  disabled  themselves  for  the  sake  of  the 
Spiritual  Life.  But  those  that  are  able  to  live 
up  to  this  standard  should  marry." 


TT^HK  people  began  to  bring  their  little  children 
to  have  him  put  his  hands  on  them  and 
bless  them,  but  the  disciples  tried  to  prevent  it. 
Jesus  was  quite  displeased  at  this  and  said, 
"Suffer  the  little  children  to  come  unto  me  and 
forbid  them  not,  for  the  Spiritual  Realm  is  for 
just  such  little  children.  And,  I  tell  you  most 
earnestly  that  only  those  that  receive  the 
Spiritual  Realm  in  the  same  childlike  spirit  shall 
enter  in.  Then  he  took  the  little  children  in  his 
arms  and  laid  his  hands  on  their  heads  in  bene- 
diction." 


Matthew  19:  13-15;  Mark  10:  13-16;  Luke  18:  15-17. 


—  236 


0\  S  Jesus  was  passing  along  the  road  a  young 
nobleman  ran  up  to  him  and,  kneeling, 
asked  him,  "Good  Master,  what  good  deed  shall 
I  do  to  inherit  eternal  life?  "  Jesus  answered, 
"Why  do  you  call  me  good?  There  is  One, 
only,  who  is  truly  good  and  that  is  Sovereign 
Love.  If  you  keep  his  commandments  you  may 
enter  into  the  Spiritual  Life." 

The  young  man  asked  him  which  command- 
ments were  most  important.  Jesus  answered: 
"Thou  shalt  not  kill,  thou  shalt  not  commit 
adultery,  thou  shalt  not  steal,  thou  shalt  not 
bear  false  witness,  honor  thy  father  and  thy 
mother,  and  thou  shalt  love  thy  neighbor  as 
thyself."  The  young  man  said,  ''Master,  all  of 
these  I  have  observed  from  my  youth,  what  do 
I  yet  lack?" 

Jesus  looked  at  him  and  his  heart  went  out  to 
him  in  love.  ''If  you  honestly  want  to  be  per- 
fect," said  Jesus,  ''you  are  lacking  one  thing. 
Go  and  sell  your  property  and  use  the  money  to 


.Matthew  19:  16-30;  Mark  10:  17-31;  Luke  18:  18-30. 
—  237  — 


be  kind  to  the  poor.  Then  your  treasure  will  be 
in  the  Spiritual  Realm,  and  come  and  follow 
me."  When  the  young  man  heard  this  his  coun- 
tenance fell  and  he  went  away  sorrowful  for  'he 
was  very  rich. 

Jesus  turned  to  his  disciples  and  said,  *'It  is 
very  difficult  for  a  rich  man  to  enter  the  Spiritual 
Realm.  It  is  easier  for  a  camel  to  pass  through 
the  eye  of  a  needle."  The  disciples  were  amazed 
at  this  saying  and  said,  ''Who  then  can  be 
saved?"  Jesus  replied,  ''With  men  it  would  be 
quite  impossible,  but  not  so  with  Sovereign  Love. 
With  him  all  things  are  possible." 

Peter  said:  "Master,  we  have  left  all  to  fol- 
low you,  what  shall  be  our  reward?"  Jesus 
replied :  "I  tell  you  most  earnestly,  that  every 
one  that  leaves  property,  or  brothers,  or  sisters, 
or  father,  or  mother,  or  native  land,  for  my 
sake,  in  order  to  give  expression  to  the  Love 
Thought  and  to  spread  the  Good  News  of  Sal- 
vation   through     Love,     they     shall     receive    a 

hundred  fold, — in  this  life  property  and  country 
—  238  — 


and  sisters  and  brothers  and  mother  and  children, 
together  with  persecution,  and  in  the  Spiritual 
Realm  the  timeless  Life.  But  many  that  are 
first  will  be  last,  and  the  last  first. 

"For  the  Spiritual  Realm  is  like  a  landlord 
who  goes  out  early  to  hire  laborers  for  his  vin- 
yard.  He  bargains  with  some  for  a  dollar  a  day 
and  sends  them  to  the  vinyard.  About  nine 
o'clock  he  sees  other  men  standing  idle  in  the 
market-place.  He  sends  these  to  work  and 
promises  to  pay  them  what  is  right.  About 
twelve  o'clock  and  about  three  he  does  the  same. 
About  five  o'clock  he  goes  out  and  still  finds  men 
idling  about  the  market  place.  He  asks  them 
why  they  are  not  at  work  and  they  reply  that  no 
one  wants  them.  So  the  landlord  tells  them  also 
to  go  to  work  in  his  vinyard. 

"When  evening  has  come,  the  lord  of  the  vin- 
yard tells  his  steward  to  call  the  laborers  and 
pay  them  all  the  same  wage,  the  last  the  same  as 
the  first.     Those  that  were  hired  at  five  o'clock 


Matthew  20:  1-16. 

—  239 


received  a  dollar  each  and  all  the  others  the 
same.  When  the  turn  of  those  who  were  hired 
at  the  beginning  of  the  day  came,  they  supposed 
that  they  would  receive  more,  but  they  too,  re- 
ceived a  dollar  each. 

"They  began  to  murmur  against  the  landlord 
and  said,  "These  last  have  worked  but  one  hour 
and  you  have  made  them  equal  with  us  who  have 
worked  all  day  in  the  hot  sun."  The  landlord 
replied,  "Friends,  I  do  you  no  injustice.  Did 
you  not  agree  with  me  to  work  for  the  dollar? 
If  I  decide  to  pay  all  alike,  is  it  not  right  for 
me  to  do  so,  considering  that  it  is  my  own 
money?  Are  you  irritated  because  I  am 
generous  ?" 

So  in  the  Spiritual  Realm  the  first  shall  be 
treated  as  the  last  and  the  last  as  the  first. 


240  — 


^IN  spite  of  the  opposition  of  the  Jews  at 
Jerusalem,  Jesus  decided  to  attend  the  Pass- 
over Feast  and  he  started  on  a  little  ahead.  His 
disciples  were  amazed  at  the  decision  and  were 
frightened.  Jesus  called  them  aside  and  ex- 
plained to  them  again  the  things  that  were  to 
happen  to  him.  He  said:  *'We  are  now  going 
up  to  Jerusalem  for  the  last  time,  for  the  Son 
of  man  will  be  delivered  up  to  the  chief  priests 
and  the  scribes.  They  will  condemn  him  to  death 
and  deliver  him  to  the  Romans.  They  wiU  mock 
him  and  spit  on  him.  They  will  scourge  him  and 
kill  him,  but  after  three  days  he  will  reappear." 
Still  they  did  not  appreciate  what  he  was  telling 
them.  It  was  as  though  the  meaning  was  hidden 
from  them. 


Matthew  20:  17-19;  Mark  10:  32-34;  Luke  18:  31-34. 


—  241  — 


^TTHE  disciples  could  not  rid  their  minds  of  the 
common  expectation  that  the  Messiah 
would  reign  in  glory  as  the  head  of  a  restored 
Israel.  If  Jesus  was  to  die,  then  surely  after  his 
reappearance  he  would  reign  in  glory.  So  sure 
were  they  of  this  that  even  the  mother  of  James 
and  John,  the  sons  of  Zebedee,  came  to  Jesus 
and  said:  "Teacher,  I  have  a  request  to  make 
of  you  and  I  want  you  to  promise  to  do  it  for 
us."  Jesus  asked  her:  ''What  is  it  that  you 
want  me  to  do  for  you?"  She  said  to  him: 
"Grant  that  when  you  come  into  your  glory  that 
one  of  these  my  two  sons  may  sit  on  your  right 
hand  and  the  other  on  the  left." 

Jesus  said  to  them,  "You  do  not  appreciate 
what  you  are  asking.  Are  you  able  to  drink  of 
the  cup  that  I  must  drink,  or  to  be  baptized  with 
the  baptism  with  which  I  am  to  be  baptized?" 
They  replied  with  confidence,  "Yes,  Teacher, 
we  are  able."  Jesus  repHed,  "You  shall  indeed 
drink  of  the  cup  that  I  must  drink  and  be  bap- 


Matthew  20:  20-28;  Mark  10:  35-45- 
_  242  — 


tized  with  the  same  baptism,  but  to  sit  on  my 
right  hand  and  my  left  hand,  is  not  mine  to 
give.  It  is  for  them  for  whom  it  is  prepared  by 
my  Father." 

When  the  other  disciples  heard  about  this 
request,  they  were  indignant.  So  Jesus  called 
them  all  to  him  and  said,  '*You  know  that  among 
the  world's  people  the  rulers  lord  it  over  them 
and  their  great  men  exercise  authority  over  them, 
but  it  must  not  be  so  among  you.  Whoever  of 
you  desires  to  be  great,  let  him  become  your 
servant,  and  whoever  among  you  desires  to  be 
first  of  all,  let  him  become  your  slave.  Even  the 
Son  of  man  did  not  come  to  be  waited  upon,  but 
came  that  he  might  serve  others  and  to  give  his 
life  a  ransom  for  many." 

As  they  drew  near  to  Jericho  they  came  near  a 
blind  beggar  named  Bartimaeus  sitting  by  the 
roadside.  He  heard  the  multitude  passing  by 
and  enquired  what  it  meant.  They  told  him  that 
it  was  Jesus  and  the  multitude  that  followed  him. 


Matthew  20:  29-34;  Mark  10:  46-52;  Luke  18:  35-43- 
—  243  — 


When  he  learned  who  it  was,  he  cried  out, 
"Lord,  Son  of  David,  have  pity  upon  me."  Many- 
scolded  him  and  ordered  him  to  be  quiet,  but  he 
only  redoubled  his  cries,  "Jesus,  Son  of  David, 
have  pity." 

Jesus  stopped  and  asked  that  the  blind  beggar 
be  called  to  him.  They  said  to  the  blind  man, 
"Cheer  up  and  come  quickly,  he  is  calling  you." 
The  blind  man  threw  away  his  garment  and  just 
sprang  to  go  to  Jesus.  When  he  was  near,  Jesus 
said  to  him,  "What  is  it  you  want  me  to  do  for 
you?"  He  replied,  humbly,  "Oh  Lord,  open  my 
eyes."  Jesus  was  moved  with  pity  and  softly 
touching  his  eyes  he  said,  "You  may  go  now, 
your  faith  has  made  you  whole."  Immediately 
he  received  his  sight  and  followed  Jesus  glorify- 
ing Sovereign  Love.  And  all  the  multitude,  as 
it  became  known,  joined  him  in  shouting  praises 
to  God. 


—  244  — 


^IN  Jericho  there  was  a  man  of  small  stature, 
named  Zacchaeus,  who  was  the  chief  tax 
collector  and  very  rich.  He  wanted  to  see  what 
kind  of  a  man  Jesus  was  and  tried  to  do  so,  but 
the  crowd  was  so  dense  that  he  was  unable  to 
get  near  enough.  So  he  ran  ahead  and  climbed 
up  into  a  sycamore  tree,  where  he  could  see  him 
as  he  passed  by. 

When  Jesus  came  to  the  place  he  looked  up 
and  said  to  him,  "Zacchaeus,  come  down  quickly 
for  I  would  like  to  stay  at  your  house  today." 
Zacchaeus  came  down  at  once  and  received 
Jesus  joyfully.  When  the  crowd  knew  about  it, 
they  were  shocked  because  he  had  gone  in  to  stay 
with  a  man  who  was  a  notoriously  wicked  man. 
But  Zacchaeus  was  not  so  bad  as  they  thought 
him  to  be,  for  after  he  had  talked  with  Jesus,  he 
said,  "Lord,  I  want  to  do  what  is  right.  I  will 
give  half  my  income  to  the  poor  and  if  I  have 
collected  taxes  unjustly  from  any  one,  I  will  pay 
back  the  excess  fourfold." 

Luke  19:  i-io. 

—  245  — 


Jesus  said  to  him,  ''Zacchaeus,  you  are  a  true 
son  of  Abraham.  This  day  salvation  has  come 
to  your  house.  For  the  Son  of  man  came  to  seek 
and  to  save  that  which  is  lost." 


A  S  Jesus  drew  near  Jerusalem  it  was  evident 
that   the    people    were   expecting   an    im- 
mediate manifestation  of  the  Kingdom  of  God; 
so  he  told  them  this  parable. 

''A  certain  nobleman  went  to  a  far  country  to 
secure  the  appointment  as  king  of  his  state,  in- 
tending to  return  as  soon  as  it  was  secured.  He 
called  together  ten  of  his  retainers  and  gave  them 
ten  dollars  each,  telling  them  to  use  the  money  in 
trade  until  his  return.  Some  of  his  fellow 
countrymen  did  not  want  him  to  be  their  king 
and  sent  representatives  to  protest  against  his 
appointment,  saying  that  they  did  not  want  this 
man  to  rule  over  them. 

Luke  19:  11-28. 

—  246  — 


"In  the  course  of  time  he  received  the  ap- 
pointment in  spite  of  their  opposition  and  re- 
turned to  ascend  the  throne.  He  first  called 
before  him  the  ten  retainers  to  whom  he  had 
given  the  money,  in  order  that  he  might  know 
which  were  the  ones  that  were  worthy  of  larger 
responsibility.  The  first  came  before  him  and 
said,  *My  Lord,  your  ten  dollars  has  earned  a 
hundred  more.'  The  king  said  to  him,  'Well 
done.  You  are  a  good  servant.  You  have  proven 
faithful  in  a  very  little ;  you  may  have  authority 
over  ten  cities.'  A  second  came  and  said,  'Your 
ten  dollars,  my  Lord,  has  made  fifty.'  The  king 
commended  him  also,  and  said,  'You  may  have 
rule  over  five  cities.' 

"Then  one  came  who  said,  'My  Lord,  here  is 

your  ten  dollars  which   I   have  kept   safely.     I 

knew  you  to  be  a  hard  man,  taking  up  what  you 

did  not  lay  down  and  reaping  where  you  did  not 

sow,  and  I  was  afraid  that  I  might  lose  it.'    The 

king  was  angry  and  said,  'Let  your  own  words 

convict  you.    You  say  that  you  knew  that  I  was 
—  247  — 


a  hard  man,  reaping  where  I  did  not  sow.  Then 
you  should  have  placed  the  money  with  the 
bankers  so  that  on  my  return,  I  would  have 
received  the  money  with  interest  at  least.  You 
are  not  to  be  trusted.' 

''Then  he  commanded  his  servants  to  take  the 
money  from  him  and  give  it  to  the  one  who  had 
made  the  hundred  dollars.  They  said  to  the 
king,  'Lord,  have  you  forgotten  that  he  already 
has  a  hundred  dollars?'  The  king  replied,  '  To 
every  one  that  has  shall  be  given,  but  from  him 
that  has  not  shall  be  taken  the  little  that  he  has.' 
Then  he  gave  orders  that  his  enemies  who  had 
tried  to  prevent  his  appointment  should  be 
arrested  and  publicly  executed." 


—  248  — 


**7Tr  ^^  Spiritual  Realm  is  like  a  rich  man 
going  to  a  far  country.  Before  he  goes 
he  calls  his  subordinates  and  puts  his  property 
in  their  charge,  giving  to  each  according  to  his 
ability.  To  one  he  gave  fifty  thousand  dollars, 
to  another  he  gave  twenty  thousand,  and  to  an- 
other ten  thousand,  and  then  he  left  them. 

''At  once  the  one  who  had  received  fifty  thou- 
sand dollars  went  to  work  and  invested  it  and 
made  another  fifty  thousand.  The  one  that 
had  received  twenty  thousand,  did  the  same  and 
he  made  another  twenty  thousand.  But  the  one 
who  had  received  ten  thousand  went  and  buried 
it  where  it  would  be  safe. 

"After  a  time  the  rich  man  returned  and  called 
on  his  subordinates  for  a  report.  The  one  who 
had  received  fifty  thousand  dollars  brought  a 
hundred  thousand  and  said,  'Sir,  you  gave  me 
fifty  thousand  dollars  and  I  have  gained  another 
fifty.  Here  they  are.'  The  rich  man  said  to  him, 
'Well  done,  good  and  faithful  servant.    You  have 


Matthew  25 :  14-30. 

—  249 


been  faithful  in  a  small  trust,  I  will  give  you 
authority  over  a  larger.  Welcome  into  partner- 
ship.' 

"He  that  had  received  twenty  thousand  also 
brought  what  he  had  received  and  had  gained, 
and  said,  'Sir,  I  have  gained  another  twenty 
thousand.'  The  rich  man  said  to  him  also,  'Well 
done  good  and  faithful  servant.  You  have  been 
faithful  in  a  small  trust,  I  will  give  you  authority 
over  a  larger  one.     Welcome  into  partnership.' 

"Then  he  that  had  received  only  ten  thousand 
dollars,  said,  'Sir,  I  knew  you  to  be  a  hard  grasp- 
ing employer,  reaping  where  you  did  not  sow  and 
gathering  where  you  did  not  risk.  I  was  afraid 
of  losing  the  money;  so  I  put  it  where  it  would 
be  safe.  Here  it  is,  all  that  you  gave  me.'  The 
rich  man  said,  'You  wicked  and  lazy  servant! 
You  knew  that  I  reaped  where  I  did  not  sow,  did 
you?  and  gathered  where  I  did  not  risk?  Then 
you  ought  to  have  placed  my  money  with  the 
bankers,    so   that  on   my   return   I   would   have 

received  my  own  with  interest,  at  least.' 
—  250  — 


"I  will  take  this  money  away  from  you  and 
give  it  to  him  who  has  the  fifty  thousand,  for  to 
every  one  that  has  shall  be  given  and  he  will  have 
an  abundance.  But  from  him  that  has  but  little, 
even  that  little  shall  be  taken  away.  You  are  an 
unprofitable  servant,  your  services  are  no  longer 
required." 


11  HE  Passover  Feast  was  now  near  at  hand 


® 


and  a  great  many  people  from  the  sur- 
rounding country  went  up  to  Jerusalem  before 
the  Feast  to  purify  themselves.  As  they  .stood 
about  the  temple  there  were  many  questions 
asked  about  Jesus.  Would  he  come  to  the  Feast 
or  not?  The  chief  priests  and  Pharisees  had 
already  given  commandment,  that,  if  anyone 
knew  where  he  was,  they  must  make  it  known,  so 
that  he  could  be  arrested. 


Matthew  26:  6-13;  Mark  14:  3-9;  John  11:  55-12:  11. 
—  251  — 


Six  days  before  the  feast  Jesus  came  to 
Bethany  and  was  invited  to  a  supper  in  the  house 
of  Simon,  the  leper.  Lazarus,  whom  Jesus  had 
raised  from  the  dead,  was  one  of  the  guests  and 
Martha,  his  sister,  was  one  that  served. 

While  Jesus  sat  at  the  table,  Mary,  the  other 
sister  of  Lazarus,  brought  an  alabaster  cruse  of 
fragrant  oil  of  spiknard,  that  was  very  costly, 
and  anointed  his  feet  with  it  and  the  room  was 
filled  with  its  fragrance.  Some  of  the  disciples 
were  indignant  at  what  seemed  to  them  an  un- 
necessary waste.  Judas  Iscariot,  the  disciple 
who  later  betrayed  Jesus,  said,  ''This  ointment 
could  have  been  sold  for  fifty  dollars  and  the 
money  given  to  the  poor."  He  said  this,  not  be- 
cause he  cared  very  much  for  the  poor,  but 
because  he  carried  the  money  of  the  disciples  and 
was  in  the  habit  of  stealing  from  it  from  time  to 
time. 

Jesus  hearing  their  comments,  said  to  them, 

"Do  not  blame  her;  she  has  done  a  kindness  to 

me.     She  has  anointed  me  in  anticipation  of  my 

—  252  — 


burial.  You  will  always  have  the  poor  among 
you  and  you  can  aid  them  at  any  time,  but  I  will 
be  with  you  only  a  short  time.  Wherever  this 
Good  News  shall  be  told  in  all  the  world,  this 
incident  will  be  repeated  and  it  will  be  a  memorial 
of  this  woman." 


253  — 


CHAPTER  EIGHT 

Triumphal  Entrance  Into  Jerusalem  and 
LAvST  Supper. 

/|P|N  the  morrow,  which  was  the  first  day  of  the 
week,  as  they  passed  through  Bethany  and 
Bethpage  on  the  road  over  the  Mount  of  Olives 
and  drew  near  Jerusalem,  Jesus  sent  two  of  his 
disciples  ahead  to  the  village  across  the  valley. 
He  said  to  them,  "As  you  enter  the  village  you 
will  see  a  donkey  colt  that  has  not  yet  been  used ; 
untie  him  and  bring  him  to  me.  If  any  one  asks 
you  why  you  do  it,  say  to  him,  'The  Master 
wants  him,'  and  he  will  let  you  take  him." 

The  disciples  went  ahead  and  found  the 
donkey  as  Jesus  had  said.  As  they  were  untying 
him,  the  owner  asked  them  what  they  were  do- 


Matthew  21 :  i-ii;  Mark  ii:  i-ii;  Luke  19:  29-44; 

John  12:  12-19. 

—  254  — 


ing.  They  said  to  him  as  Jesus  had  instructed 
them,  and  the  owner  was  glad  to  let  him  go. 
When  they  brought  the  colt  to  Jesus,  they  placed 
their  garments  on  him  and  Jesus  mounted. 

A  rumor  spread  to  Jerusalem  that  Jesus  was 
coming  to  the  Feast  and  a  great  multitude  came 
out  to  meet  him.  When  they  saw  him  coming 
some  spread  their  garments  in  the  way,  others 
broke  off  branches  of  the  palm  trees,  and  all 
those  before  and  they  that  followed  after  cried 
out,  "Hozanna,  Hozanna  in  the  Highest !  Blessed 
is  he  that  comes  in  the  name  of  the  Lord ! 
Hozanna  to  the  Son  of  David !  Blessed  is  the 
Kingdom  that  is  coming!  Blessed  is  the  King- 
dom of  our  father  David !  Hozanna,  Hozanna 
in  the  Highest !" 

When   the  triumphal  procession  came  to  the 

highest   point  on   the   road   over  the   Mount   of 

Olives    and    the   magnificent   city    of    Jerusalem 

came  into  view  across  the  Kedron  Valley,  they 

burst    into    renewed    shouts    of    rejoicing    and 

praises  to  God  for  all  that  they  had  seen  and  all 
—  255  — 


they  expected  would  soon  transpire.  "Hozanna! 
Hozanna !  Blessed  is  the  King  that  comes  in  the 
name  of  the  Lord  !  Blessed  is  the  King  of  Israel ! 
May  Heavenly  Peace  and  Highest  Glory  be  upon 
him !    Hozanna  in  the  Highest !" 

Some  of  the  Pharisees  in  the  crowd  nearest 
Jesus  said  to  him,  ''You  better  restrain  your 
disciples.''  But  Jesus  replied,  "1  tell  you,  if 
these  men  should  be  silent,  the  very  stones  would 
cry  out." 

As  they  drew  near  the  city,  Jesus  could  not 
hold  back  the  tears.  He  said,  ''Oh  Jerusalem! 
Jerusalem !  If  you  could  understand — and  there 
is  still  time — the  only  thing  that  makes  peace 
possible.  But  no,  it  is  too  late,  it  is  hid  from 
your  eyes.  The  days  are  coming  when  your 
enemies  will  throw  up  earthworks  and  battle- 
ments about  you,  hemming  you  in  on  every  side. 
They  will  destroy  your  city.  They  will  not  leave 
one  stone  upon  another  and  even  your  children 

shall  be  slain.     And  all  because  you  would  not 

— .  256  — 


understand  that  Sovereign  Love  was  visiting 
you." 

As  he  entered  Jerusalem  and  passed  into  the 
temple,  the  city  was  profoundly  stirred  and 
expectant.  Some  asked,  'Who  is  he?'  and  the 
multitude  answered,  "It  is  the  Galilean  Prophet, 
Jesus  of  Nazareth." 

As  Jesus  entered  the  temple  he  noticed  the 
traders  selling  sheep,  and  oxen,  and  doves,  and 
also  the  money  changers.  He  made  a  whip  of 
cords  and  drove  them  all  out  of  the  temple.  He 
overturned  the  tables  of  the  money  changers  and 
scattered  their  coin.  He  forbade  any  one  carry- 
ing utensils  through  the  temple.  To  them  that 
sold  doves  and  to  all  he  said  ,"Take  these  things 
away;  you  must  not  make  my  Father's  house  a 
place  of  merchandise.  It  is  written,  'My  house 
shall  he  called  a  house  of  prayer  for  all  nations* 
You  are  making  it  a  den  of  robbers." 

Then  he  healed  the  blind  and  the  lame  that 

came  to  him  and,  as  it  was  late,  he  quietly  left 

the  temple  courts  and  returned  to  Bethany. 

—  257  — 


JpARLY  the  next  day,  Monday  morning,  Jesus 
with  his  disciples  returned  to  the  temple 
almost  unnoticed. 

The  chief  priests  and  the  scribes  and  some 
of  the  principal  men  were  very  angry  at  what 
Jesus  had  done  the  day  before  and  sought  ways 
to  kill  him,  but  the  crowds  hung  about  him  listen- 
ing to  his  words,  and  the  children  would  from 
time  to  time  burst  out  into  shouts  of,  ''Hozanna 
to  the  Son  of  David." 

They  said  to  Jesus,  "Are  you  aware  what  these 
children  are  shouting?"  Jesus  replied,  "Certainly. 
Have  you  never  read  where  it  is  written,  'Out 
of  the  moutJis  of  babes  and  suckling,  thou  hast 
perfect  praise/  '' 

The  Jews  said,  "What  sign  can  you  show  us  to 
prove  your  authority  for  doing  these  things?" 
Jesus  said,  "Destroy  this  temple  and  in  three 
days  I  will  restore  it."  The  Jews  said,  "This 
temple  was  forty-six  years  in  building.  Do  you 
mean  to  say  that  you  can  raise  it  up  in  three 


Matthew  21:  12-17;  Mark  11:  15-19;  lyuke  19:  45-48; 

John  2:  13-22. 

—  258  — 


days?"  But  Jesus  was  speaking  of  the  temple 
of  his  body  and  afterward  when  he  had  reap- 
peared from  the  dead,  they  remembered  that  he 
had  said  it  and  it  confirmed  their  faith  in  the 
scriptures  and  in  Jesus. 

As  the  day  drew  to  a  close  Jesus  again  with- 
drew from  the  temple  and  spent  the  night  at 
Bethany. 

/JP|N  Tuesday  morning  Jesus  and  his  disciples 
^^  again  went  to  the  temple.  As  they  passed 
along  the  road  Jesus  said:  "You  must  have  more 
faith  in  Sovereign  Love.  It  is  a  law  of  the 
Spiritual  Realm  that  whatever  you  may  ask  in 
prayer,  believing  in  your  heart  that  it  will  come, 
you  will  receive.  If  you  have  faith  and  do  not 
doubt,  you  can  say  to  this  mountain,  *Be  taken 
up  and  cast  into  the  sea,'  and  it  will  be  done. 
Therefore  I  say  to  you,  whatever  you  ask  for  in 
prayer,  believe  that  you  will  receive  it,  and  you 
will  receive  it. 


Matthew  21:  18-22;  Mark  11:  12-14,  20-25. 
—  259  — 


*'But  when  you  offer  prayer,  if  you  have  any- 
thing against  anyone,  forgive  him,  so  that  your 
Father  who  is  in  the  Spiritual  Realm,  may  for- 
give you  your  sins." 

When  Jesus  reached  the  temple,  he  walked 
about  as  usual,  talking  with  the  people  and  telling 
them  the  Good  News.  The  chief  priests  and 
elders  again  came  to  him  and  demanded  to  know 
by  what  authority  he  was  doing  these  things  and 
who  gave  him  the  authority.  Jesus  said  to  them, 
"I  will  also  ask  you  one  question.  If  you  answer 
me  I  will  tell  you  by  what  authority  I  am  doing 
these  things.  The  baptism  of  John — was  it  from 
the  Spiritual  Realm,  or  was  it  from  men? 
Answer  me." 

The  chief  priests  and  the  scribes  were  at  a 
loss  how  to  answer.  '*If  we  say,  it  was  from 
heaven,  he  will  say,  'Why  then  do  you  not  be- 
lieve him?'  If  we  say,  from  men,  we  will  dis- 
please the  multitude,  for  they  all  believe  that 
John  was  a  prophet."     No,  they  dare  not  say 


Matthew  21:  23-27;  Mark  11:  27-33;  Luke  20:  1-8. 
—  260  — 


that,  for  they  were  afraid  of  the  people,  afraid 
that  they  would  stone  them.  So  they  answered 
Jesus,  "We  do  not  know."  Jesus  then  said, 
''Neither  do  I  tell  you  by  what  authority  I  do 
these  things." 


3 


ESUS  then  told  them  this  parable.  "Once 
there  was  a  man  who  had  two  sons.  He 
said  to  the  first,  'Son,  you  must  work  today  in 
the  vinyard.'  The  son  said  to  himself,  'I  will 
not,'  but  later  he  changed  his  mind  and  went  to 
work.  The  father  said  to  the  second  son,  'Son, 
I  want  you  to  work  today  in  the  vinyard.'  This 
son  said,  'I  will  do  so,  sir !'  But  he  did  not  go. 
Now  which  of  these  two  did  the  will  of  his 
father?" 

The  crowd  said,  "The  first,  of  course."  Jesus 
said:  "Most  earnestly  I  tell  you,  that  publicans 
and  harlots  enter  the  Spiritual  Realm,  before  you. 
For  John  came  to  you  pointing  out  the  way  of 
righteousness  and  calling  on  you  to  respond.  You 

Matthew  21 :  28-22,  14;  Mark  12:  1-12;  Luke  20:  g-iQ- 
—  261  — 


profess  to  be  obeying  the  commands  of  Sovereign 
Love,  but  you  have  not  responded  to  his  call; 
neither  have  you  repented  since.  But  the  publi- 
cans and  the  harlots  who  are  sinners  have 
responded.  Listen,  I  will  tell  you  another 
parable.  , 

"There  was  once  a  land  owner  who  planted 
a  vinyard,  put  a  hedge  about  it,  made  a  wine 
press,  and  built  a  watch  tower.  Then  he  rented 
it  to  tenants  and  went  away  to  a  far  country 
for  a  long  time.  When  the  harvest  season  was 
over,  he  sent  his  servants  to  the  tenants  to  re- 
ceive the  rent.  The.  tenants  beat  one,  stoned 
another,  and  killed  another.  Then  the  owner 
sent  other  servants,  more  than  at  first  and  they 
treated  them  in  the  same  manner. 

''Afterward  he  sent  his  son,  thinking  that  they 

would  respect  him.     But  when  the  tenants  saw 

the  son,   they   said   to  themselves,   'This   is   the 

heir,  let  us  kill  him  and  take  the  property.'     So 

they  drove  him  out  of   the  vinyard  and  killed 

him.      When    the    owner    of    the    vinyard    will 
—  262  — 


return,  what  will  he  do  to  those  tenants?"  They 
replied,  *'He  will,  of  course,  drive  them  out  and 
let  the  vinyard  to  other  tenants,  who  will  pay 
the  rent  at  the  proper  season." 

Jesus  said,  "Have  you  never  read  in  the  scrip- 
tures where  it  says,  'The  stone  which  the  builders 
rejected  has  become  the  head  of  the  corner.' 
Listen,  the  Spiritual  Realm  shall  be  taken  away 
from  you  and  given  to  a  nation  that  will  appre- 
ciate it." 

The  high  priests  and  the  Pharisees  knew  that 
he  was  referring  to  them.  They  would  gladly 
have  seized  him,  then  and  there,  but  they  were 
afraid,  for  they  knew  that  the  crowd  beHeved 
him  to  be  a  prophet.  Jesus  continued  to  teach 
them  in  parables. 


263  — 


JTT  HE  Spiritual  Realm  is  like  a  king  who 
made  a  marriage  feast  for  his  son  and, 
when  all  was  ready,  sent  his  servants  to 
call  those  who  had  been  invited,  but  none  of  them 
came.  Then  he  sent  other  servants,  saying,  'Tell 
them  that  are  invited  that  all  arrangements  are 
completed,  the  beef  and  lamb  are  roasted  and 
everything  is  ready,  and  to  come  to  the  mar- 
riage feast.'  But  they  that  were  invited  made 
light  of  it  and  went  their  several  ways.  This  one 
went  to  his  farm,  this  one  to  his  merchandise. 
Others  laid  hold  of  his  servants  and  made  sport 
of  them,  treating  them  shamefully  and  killing 
some.  Then  the  king  was  angry.  He  sent  bis 
soldiers  and  executed  the  murderers  and  burned 
their  city. 

''Then  he  said  to  his  servants,  'The  wedding 
feast  is  ready,  but  those  that  have  been  invited 
vire  unworthy.  Go,  now,  to  the  public  squares 
and  invite  any  that  you  may  find  to  come  to  the 
marriage  feast.'    The  servants  did  as  they  were 

ordered  and  gathered  all  that  they  could  find, 

—  264  — 


both  good  and  bad,  and  the  banquet  was  filled 
with  guests. 

''When  the  King  came  in  to  greet  the  guests, 
he  saw  a  man  who  had  come  in  his  working 
clothes.  The  king  said  to  him,  'Friend,  why  have 
you  come  to  the  feast  without  being  properly 
dressed?  Is  that  the  way  you  value  my  invita- 
tion?' Then  he  told  his  servants  to  bind  the 
offender  and  to  put  him  out  into  the  night.  The 
invitation  is  to  many,  but  only  a  few  appreciate 
it  and  are  willing  to  meet  the  conditions." 


A  GAIN  the  Pharisees  gathered  together  in 
consultation  to  see  if  there  was  any  way 
that  they  could  catch  Jesus  in  his  words,  so  that 
they  would  have  sufficient  reason  for  delivering 
him  to  the  Roman  officials.  They  decided  to 
send  some  of  their  students  to  Jesus  to  ask  him 
certain  questions. 


Matthew  22:  15-40;  Mark  12:  13-34;  Luke  20:  20-40 
—  265  — 


They  came  to  Jesus  and  said,  "Master  we 
know  that  you  are  sincere  and  are  teaching  the 
ways  of  God  according  to  your  best  knowledge 
without  regard  to  the  opinion  of  others  or  fear 
of  the  authorities.  Tell  us,  therefore,  is  it  right 
to  pay  taxes  to  Caesar,  or  is  it  not  right?" 

Jesus  recognized  their  wicked  duplicity  and 
said,  "Why  do  you  hypocrites  try  to  entrap  me? 
Well,  show  me  some  of  the  money  with  which 
you  pay  your  taxes."  They  brought  to  him  a 
Roman  coin  and  Jesus  asked,  "Whose  likeness 
is  this  and  this  inscription?"  They  replied  that 
it  was  Caesar's.  "Then,"  said  Jesus,  "Pay  to 
Caesar  what  belongs  to  Caesar  and  offer  to 
Sovereign  Love  what  belongs  to  him."  They 
were  astonished  at  the  cleverness  of  his  reply  and 
went  away. 

Then  a  party  of  Sadducees,  who  teach  that 
there  is  no  resurrection,  came  to  him  and  said, 
"Master,  Moses  wrote  that  if  a  man  die  leaving 
a  widow,  but  no  children,  it  was  the  duty  of  his 

brother  to  marry  the  widow  and  raise  children 

—  266  — 


for  him.  Now  there  was  a  family  of  seven 
brothers.  The  first  married  and  died,  leaving 
the  woman,  but  no  children,  to  his  brother.  This 
brother  died  also  and  the  third  down  to  the 
seventh.  Finally  the  woman  died.  In  the  resur- 
rection, whose  wife  will  she  be?" 

Jesus  replied,  "You  are  mistaken  as  to  the 
nature  of  the  resurrection.  You  do  not  read  the 
scriptures  correctly,  nor  do  you  know  the  power 
of  Sovereign  Love.  Marriage  is  an  institution 
of  this  natural  realm.  They  that  are  able  to 
transcend  this  natural  order  and  enter  the 
Spiritual  Realm,  after  they  enter,  neither  marry 
nor  are  given  in  marriage;  but  are  like  the  angels. 
They  have  entered  the  timeless  Life  and  are, 
therefore,  no  longer  subject  to  the  natural  laws 
of  birth  and  death.  Having  been  born  again  of 
Love  Vitality,  they  have  become  children  of 
Sovereign  Love. 

"That  this  is  true,  even  Moses  understood,  for 

in  the  account  of  the  burning  bush,  he  reports 

the  Lord  as  saying,  7  am  the  God  of  Abraham 
-^  267  — 


and  the  God  of  Isaac  and  the  God  of  Jacob/ 
Sovereign  Love  Is  not  the  God  of  the  dead,  but 
of  those  that  are  living  in  a  higher  existence 
than  the  natural,  where  all  have  their  Life  in 
him." 

Again  the  multitude  was  astonished  at  the 
wisdom  of  his  reply,  and  the  Pharisees,  when 
they  saw  that  he  had  silenced  the  Sadducees, 
withdrew  for  further  consultation. 


i\      lawyer    who    had    been    listening    to    the 

previous     questions    and    answers,     now 

came    to    Jesus    and    in    sincerity    asked    him, 

''Master,  which  of  the  commandments  is  most 

important?"     Jesus   said,   ''Thou  shalt  love  the 

Lord  thy  God,  imth  all  thy  heart  and  zmth  all  thy 

soul  and  zvith   all   thy   mind   and   with   all   thy 

strength.     The  second  is  this,   Thou  shalt  love 

thy   neighbor   as   thyself.     There  are   no   other 

commandments  greater  than  these." 

—  268  — 


The  lawyer  replied,  ''A'laster,  you  have  well 
said.  For  there  is  but  one  God,  and  to  love  him 
with  all  the  heart  and  with  all  the  understanding 
and  with  all  the  strength ;  and  for  a  man  to  love 
the  neighbor  as  himself,  is  much  more  than  all 
burnt  offerings  and  sacrifices."  When  Jesus  saw 
that  he  had  answered  discreetly,  he  said  to  him, 
*'You  are  not  far  from  the  Spiritual  Realm." 


^HEN  Jesus  asked  the  Pharisees  a  question, 
''What  do  you  think  of  the  Messiah? 
Whose  Son  is  he?"  They  replied,  "He  is  to  be 
a  descendent  of  David."  Then  Jesus  said, 
''David  wrote  of  the  Messiah  under  divine  in- 
spiration, when  he  said  in  the  Psalms, 

'The  Lord  said  unto  my  Lord, 

Sit  thou  on  my  right  hand 

Till  I  put  thy  enemies  under  thy  feet/ 


Matthew  22:  41-46;  Mark  12:  35-37;  Luke  20:  41-44- 
—  269  — 


If  David  called  him  Lord,  how  can  he  be  his 
descendent?"  No  one  was  able  to  answer  him 
and  after  this  no  one  had  courage  to  ask  him 
malicious  questions. 


TTCHUN  Jesus  turned  to  the  multitude  and  to 
his  disciples  and  said,  *'The  scribes  and  the 
Pharisees  sit  in  the  seat  of  Moses  and  whatever 
they  bid  you  do,  you  should  observe;  but  be 
careful  not  to  copy  their  works,  for  they  teach, 
but  do  not  themselves  live  up  to  their  teaching. 
They  make  up  heavy  burdens  and  bind  them  on 
the  shoulders  of  men,  but  they  themselves  go  free. 
*'A11  that  they  do,  they  do  to  be  seen  of  men. 
The  phylacteries  of  prayers  which  they  bind  on 
their  foreheads,  they  make  conspicuous.  They 
decorate  their  garments  with  striking  colors. 
They  covet  the  places  of  prominence  at  public 
banquets  and  the  chief  seats  in  the  synagogues. 


Matthew  23:  1-36;  Mark  12:  38-40;  Luke  11:  42-54; 
20:  45-47. 

—  270  — 


They  love  to  be  noticed  in  public  places  and  to 
have  men  bow  to  them  and  call  them,  Doctor! 

"But  you,  my  disciples,  do  not  let  men  call 
you  by  titles  of  honor,  for  One  only  is  your 
superior  and  all  you  are  just  brothers.  Do  not 
call  any  man  by  the  honorary  title  of  'Father,' 
for  you  have  but  one  real  Father  and  he  is  in  the 
Spiritual  Realm.  Neither  let  anyone  call  you 
'Master,'  for  there  is  but  one  Master,  the 
Messiah.  If  you  really  want  to  be  more  im- 
portant than  others,  learn  to  be  useful  to  them. 
He  that  exalts  himself  will  be  humbled,  and  he 
that  humbles  himself  will  be  exalted. 

"Woe  to  you,  hypocritical  scribes  and  Phari- 
sees !  You  have  closed  the  Spiritual  Realm 
against  men  and  taken  away  the  key  of  know- 
ledge. You  do  not  choose  to  enter  yourselves, 
and  you  hinder  those  who  would  like  to  enter. 

"Woe  to  you,  hypocritical  scribes  and  Phari- 
sees! You  compass  sea  and  land  to  make  one 
proselyte,  and  when  he  is  become  one,  you  de- 
grade him  lower  than  yourselves. 

—  271  — 


*'Woe  to  you,  blind  guides  that  you  are !  You 
say  that  a  vow  sworn  to  by  the  Holy  of  Holies 
is  not  valid,  but  one  sworn  to  by  the  gold  on  the 
temple  is  binding.  How  foolish  and  unreason- 
able !  For  which  is  greater,  the  gold  on  the 
sanctuary,  or  the  sanctuary  that  sanctifies  the 
gold?  An  oath  sworn  to  by  the  altar,  you  say  is 
invalid,  but  one  sworn  to  by  the  offering  on  the 
altar  is  valid.  Oh,  what  blindness !  Which  is 
greater,  the  gift,  or  the  altar  that  sanctifies  the 
gift?  He  that  swears  by  the  altar,  swears  by  it 
and  by  all  that  is  on  it.  He  that  swears  by  the 
temple,  swears  by  it  and  by  him  that  dwells 
therein.  He  that  swears  by  heaven,  swears  by 
the  ithrone  of  Love  and  by  him  who  is  its 
Sovereign. 

*'Woe  to  you,  hypocritical  scribes  and  Phari- 
sees !  You  tithe  mint  and  anise  and  the  little 
herbs,  and  leave  undone  the  essential  things, 
justice,  mercy,  and  good  faith.  You  are  the 
blindest  of  blind  guides,  straining  at  a  gnat  and 

swallowing  a  camel. 

272  


"Woe  to  you,  hypocritical  scribes  and  Phari- 
sees !  You  are  Hke  hidden  tombs  that  men  walk 
over  unwittingly.  You  are  like  whitewashed 
sepulchers,  that  are  outwardly  clean,  but  within 
are  all  manner  of  dead  men's  bones,  and  foulness. 
Outwardly  you  appear  to  be  honest  men,  but 
inwardly  you  are  full  of  insincerity  and  wicked- 
ness. 

"Woe  to  you,  hypocritical  scribes  and  Phari- 
sees !  You  build  the  tombs  of  the  prophets  whom 
your  fathers  killed  and  you  decorate  the  tombs 
of  the  righteous.  You  boast  that  if  you  had 
lived  in  the  days  of  the  prophets,  you  would  not 
have  joined  with  your  fathers  in  killing  them. 
In  saying  this  you  admit  that  you  are  the  sons 
of  them  that  killed  the  prophets  and  you  will 
yet  prove  that  the  sons  are  the  same  as  their 
fathers.  By  continuing  to  do  as  they  did,  you 
give  your  approval  to  their  evil  work. 

"Behold  I  shall  send  you  prophets  and  wise 
men  and  teachers.     Some  of  them  you  will  kill 

and  crucify.     Some  of  them  you  will  scourge  in 

—  273  — 


your  synagogues  and  persecute  from  city  to  city. 
By  so  doing  all  the  blood  of  the  prophets  that 
has  been  shed  since  the  foundation  of  the  world, 
can  be  charged  against  this  generation.  All  the 
blood  from  Abel  down  to  Zechariah,  who  per- 
ished between  the  altar  and  the  Holy  of  Holies, — 
all  shall  be  required  of  this  generation.  Oh,  you 
serpents !  You  offspring  of  vipers !  How  shall 
you  escape  the  final  judgment?" 


^TTHEN  the  Pharisees  went  away  terribly  angry 
and  more  determined  than  ever  to  put 
Jesus  out  of  the  way.  But  Jesus  turned  to  the 
multitude  and  ,said,  "Oh  Jerusalem,  Jerusalem! 
You  who  kill  the  prophets  and  stone  them  that 
are  sent  to  you.  How  often  would  I  have  gath- 
ered your  children  together,  even  as  a  hen 
gathers  her  chickens  under  her  wings,  and  you 
would  not  let  me.    Now  your  city  is  left  to  you 


Matthew  23  :  37-39 ;  Luke  13 :  34-35- 
—  274  — 


desolate  and  you  can  never  see  me  again,  until 
in  your  heart  of  hearts  you  can  say,  'Blessed  is 
he  that  comes  in  the  name  of  the  Lord.'  " 

As  Jesus  moved  about  in  the  temple  he  came 
to  the  place  where  the  gifts  were  received  and 
he  sat  down  to  rest  and  to  see  how  they  gave 
money  into  the  treasury.  Many  that  were  rich 
gave  large  amounts,  but  there  came  a  poor  widow 
and  she  gave  two  pennies,  all  that  she  had.  Jesus 
called  his  disciples  and  said  to  them :  "This  poor 
widow  has  given  more  than  they  all  that  have 
given  to  the  treasury.  They  have  given  of  their 
superfluity,  but  she,  out  of  her  want,  has  given 
all  she  had,  her  whole  living." 


A   MONG  those  that  had  come  to  the  Feast 

to  worship,  were  certain  Greek  believers 

in  God.     These  came  to  Philip  of  Bethsaida  in 

Galilee  and  said,  "Sir,  We  would  like  to  meet 


Mark  12:  41-44;  Luke  21:  1-4. 

John  12:  20-36;  44-50. 

--  275  -^ 


Jesus."  Philip  found  Andrew  and  told  him  and 
together  they  told  Jesus.  Jesus  exclaimed :  "The 
hour  has  come  for  the  Son  of  man  to  be  glorified. 
Unless  a  grain  of  wheat  falls  into  the  earth  and 
gives  up  its  life,  it  lives  for  itself.  It  is  only 
when  in  germinating  it  dies,  that  it  bears  fruit. 
He  that  loves  his  natural  life  will  in  time  lose  it, 
but  he  that  relatively  cares  nothing  for  it,  will 
keep  his  soul  Life  into  the  timeless  existence. 

"If  any  man  wishes  to  serve  me  let  him  follow 
me  and  then  he  will  be  with  me  where  I  am. 
Whoever  serves  me,  the  Father  will  honor. 

"My  soul  is  full  of  perplexity.  I  do  not  know 
what  to  say.  Shall  I  pray  the  Father  to  save  me 
from  this  hour?  No,  for  I  have  come  to  this 
hour  for  this  very  purpose.  My  Father,  glorify 
thy  name!" 

Thereupon  a  voice  seemed  to  sound  out  of  the 

sky,    saying,    "I    have   already   made   my   name 

glorious  and   I   will  yet  glorify   it  again."   The 

multitude  that  stood  by  heard  the  sound,  but  did 

not  understand  the  words.     Some  said  that  it 

—  276  — 


thundered.  Others  said  that  an  angel  spoke  to 
him. 

Jesus  said,  "This  voice  did  not  come  so  much 
to  encourage  me,  as  to  convince  you.  This  world 
is  being  tested  and,  even  now,  the  prince  of  this 
world  is  being  defeated.  And  I,  the  Love 
Thought,  if  I  be  lifted  up  from  the  earth,  will 
draw  all  men  to  me."  By  this  he  signified  by 
what  manner  of  death  he  would  die  and,  also, 
proclaimed  the  triumphant  superiority  of  the 
Spiritual  Law  of  Love,  over  the  world  principle 
of  selfishness  and  hate. 

Some  one  of  the  multitude  said:  "We  have 
read  in  the  book  of  the  Law,  that  the  Messiah 
will  abide  forever.  You  say  that  the  Son  of  man 
must  be  crucified.  \yho  is  this  Son  of  man?" 
Jesus  said  to  them:  "It  is  only  a  little  while  that 
the  Light  is  among  you.  Decide  while  you  have 
the  Light,  so  that  darkness  may  not  overtake  you 
in  your  indecision.  He  that  walks  in  darkness, 
does    not    know    where    he    is    going.      Oh    my 

friends,  believe  in  the  Light  while  you  have  it." 

—  277  — 


In  a  louder  voice  and  with  great  earnestness 
Jesus  cried  out :  "He  that  believes  in  me,  believes 
not  so  much  in  me  as  in  Sovereign  Love  that  sent 
me.  He  that  is  cherishing  the  Love  Thought  is 
harmonizing  his  Hfe  with  the  will  of  Sovereign 
Love.  The  Love  Thought  has  come  as  a  Light 
into  the  world  and  whoever  trusts  in  him  will 
not  live  in  darkness. 

''If  anyone  is  conscious  of  the  appeal  of  the 
Love  Thought  and  does  not  yield  to  it,  I  do  not 
judge  him.  I  am  not  come  to  judge  the  world 
but  to  save  the  world.  But  in  the  last  day  there 
will  be  one  who  will  judge  him,  and  the  test  that 
he  must  meet  will  be  his  attitude  toward  the 
Love  Thought. 

"I  do  not  speak  on  my  own  authority,  but  the 
Father  that  sent  me  gave  instruction  as  to  what 
I  should  say  and  what  I  should  do.  I  know  that 
to  obey  his  commandment  means  an  entrance  into 
the  timeless  Life,  and  therefore  I  speak  just  as 
he  has  instructed  me  to  speak." 

When  Jesus  had  finished  he  moved  away  and 

disappeared  from  among  them. 

—  278  — 


/'ft  ENTURIES  before,  Isaiah  had  seen  a  vis- 
ion of  the  Messiah  and  prophesied  about 
him.    He  said : 

"Lord  zvho  hath  believed  our  report? 

And  to  whom  hath  the  arm  of  the  Lord  been 

revealed?" 
"He  hath  blinded  their  eyes  and  hardened  their 

hearts; 
Lest  they  should  see  nnth  their  eyes  and  per- 
ceive with  their  hearts 
And  should  turn  and  I  should  heal  them." 

This  prophecy  was  well  known  and,  although 
Jesus  had  done  so  many  wonderful  things,  yet 
still  the  Jews  generally  did  not  believe  in  him. 
Not  a  single  one  of  the  leaders  of  the  Jews  had 
come  out  openly  as  a  disciple,  although  a  very 
few  did  believe  in  him,  but  did  not  admit  it  pub- 
licly for  fear  that  the  Pharisees  would  have  them 
put  out  of  the  synagogue.  They  preferred  the 
honor  which  men  showed  them  as  members  of 
the  Sanhedrin,  rather  than  the  inner  approval  of 
Sovereign  Love. 

John  12:  37-43. 

—  279  — 


^jfESUS  then  left  the  temple  and  as  they  were 
going  out  of  the  city,  the  disciples  called  his 
attention  to  the  great  buildings  and  massive  walls. 
Jesus  said :  "Do  these  things  impress  you  ?  I  tell 
you,  not  one  stone  of  all  this  will  be  left  in  place. 
It  will  be  utterly  demolished." 

As  they  were  passing  over  the  Mount  of  Ol- 
ives, Jesus  rested  by  the  roadside  with  the  great 
city  spread  out  before  them.  The  disciples  asked 
him  when  the  destruction  of  Jerusalem,  about 
which  they  had  been  talking,  would  take  place, 
and  what  signs  there  would  be  of  his  own  reap- 
pearance, and  the  end  of  the  world. 

Jesus  replied :  "First  of  all  you  must  be  careful 
and  not  let  men  lead  you  astray.  Many  will  come 
in  my  name  and  say,  'I  am  the  Messiah,'  and  the 
'Time  is  at  hand.'  Many  will  be  led  astray,  but 
you  must  not  be  deceived.  You  will  hear  of 
wars  and  rumors  of  wars.  Nation  will  rise 
against   nation    and   kingdom   against   kingdom. 


Matthew  24:  1-44;   Mark  13:  1-37;  Luke   12:  49-53; 

21:  5-36. 

—  280  — 


There  will  be  famines  and  earthquakes  in  various 
places.  There  will  be  unusual  appearances  in 
the  sky  and  vague  terrors  abroad,  but  do  not  be 
disturbed. 

*'These  things  must  necessarily  come  and  they 
will  be  the  beginning  of  your  suffering,  but  the 
end  will  not  immediately  follow.  Before  the  end 
comes,  the  Good  News  must  be  proclaimed  and 
become  known  to  all  nations,  for  it  is  by  that  test 
that  the  nations  are  to  be  judged. 

*'I  come  to  start  a  fire  on  the  earth  and  I  would 
that  it  were  already  ablaze.  I  have  a  trial  to  un- 
dergo, and  how  am  I  distracted  until  it  is  all 
over.  Did  you  think  that  I  had  come  to  bring 
peace  on  the  earth?  I  tell  you,  no,  but  rather 
division.  From  henceforth  where  there  are  five 
in  a  family,  they  shall  be  divided,  three  against 
two  and  two  against  three.  They  shall  be  divided 
father  against  son  and  son  against  father ;  mother 
against  daughter  and  daughter  against  mother; 
mother-in-law      against      daughter-in-law      and 

daughter-in-law  against  mother-in-law. 
—  281  — 


"You  who  bear  my  name  will  be  hated  of  all 
men  and  all  nations.  For  this  reason  many  will 
falter  and  deliver  one  another  up  and  hate  one 
another.  Brother  will  betray  brother,  the  father 
will  deliver  up  his  own  child,  and  children  will 
rise  up  against  their  parents,  and  cause  some  of 
them  to  be  put  to  death.  But  he  that  endures  to 
the  end  shall  be  saved,  for  by  patient  endurance 
you  win  the  higher  Life  of  the  soul. 


♦^  JTTHE  important  thing  is  to  be  on  guard  with- 
in yourselves.  They  will  very  early  lay 
their  hands  on  you  and  persecute  you.  They  will 
bring  you  before  synagogues  and  councils  and 
governors  and  kings  for  my  name's  sake.  They 
will  treat  you  cruelly  and  even  kill  you.  But  ev- 
ery occasion  of  persecution,  or  suffering,  you 
must  turn  to  account  as  an  opportunity  for  wit- 
nessing.    When  they  lead  you  before  judges,  or 

deliver  you  to  governors,  do  not  plan  before  hand 

-^  282  — 


what  you  will  say.  Settle  it  once  for  all,  that 
you  will  depend  on  Sovereign  Love  for  your  de- 
fence, and  it  will  be  given  you  in  that  hour  what 
you  shall  say.  Love  Vitality  will  speak  through 
you.  You  will  have  words  and  wisdom  which  all 
your  adversaries  will  not  be  able  to  gainsay. 

*'When  you  see  Jerusalem  encompassed  with 
armies,  then  know  that  her  destruction  is  at  hand. 
Let  them  that  are  in  Judea  flee  to  the  mountains. 
Let  them  that  are  in  the  city  get  out  at  once.  If 
you  are  on  the  housetop,  do  not  delay  to  get 
things  to  take  away.  If  you  are  in  the  field,  do 
not  return  to  the  house  to  get  a  coat,  even.  These 
are  days  of  vengeance  and  all  that  has  been  fore- 
told will  be  fulfilled.  The  equal  of  these  days  of 
suffering  and  hardship  has  never  been  seen  and 
never  will  be  again. 

"It  will  be  pitiably  hard  for  a  woman  with 

child,  or  for  those  with  little  babies.     Pray  that 

your  flight  may  not  be  in  winter,  for  there  will 

be  great  distress  and  anger.     Many  will  fall  by 

the  sword,  and  many  will  be  taken  away  as  cap- 
—  283  — 


tives  into  other  lands,  and  Jerusalem  will  be  to- 
tally destroyed.  If  these  days  should  continue 
long,  no  one  would  survive,  but  for  the  elect's 
sake,  the  Lord  will  limit  them. 


♦  ♦^p  any  one  say  to  you,  Xo,  here  is  the  Mes- 
siah,  or  Xo,  there  he  is/  do  not  believe  it. 
There  will  be  false  messiahs  and  false  prophets. 
They  will  show  remarkable  signs  and  wonders 
so  as  to  lead  astray,  if  possible,  the  very  elect. 
But  remember  I  have  forewarned  you.  If  there- 
fore they  say,  'See,  he  is  in  the  wilderness,'  do  not 
go.  If  they  say,  'See,  he  is  in  the  inner  chamber,' 
do  not  listen  to  them. 

"When  the  Son  of  man  appears,  those  to  whom 
he  comes  will  recognize  his  presence.  It  will  be 
as  pervasive  as  the  flash  of  lightning,  that  is  seen 
from  the  East  to  the  West.  At  times  there  will 
be  startling  appearances  in  the  sky  and  distress 

among  the  nations.     Because  of  the  expectation 

—  284  — 


that  something  awful  is  going  to  happen,  there 
will  be  perplexity  and  fear  among  men.  At  just 
such  times  the  Son  of  man  will  be  present  in 
power  and  glory.  When  these  things  come  to 
pass  lift  up  your  heads  and  be  encouraged,  for 
your  redemption  draws  near. 

''Listen  to  this  parable.  When  a  fruit  tree  be- 
gins to  bud  and  to  put  forth  leaves  you  know  that 
summer  is  near.  In  the  same  way  when  you  see 
these  things  taking  place,  you  may  know  that  the 
Spiritual  Realm  is  very  near,  even  at  your  door. 
Most  seriously  I  tell  you,  that  this  generation  will 
not  pass  away,  until  all  these  things  shall  happen. 
The  heavens  and  the  earth  may  pass  away,  but 
my  words  will  not  pass  away."  No  one  knows 
the  exact  day  and  hour  when  the  Son  of  man 
will  be  present.  Even  the  angels  of  the  Spiritual 
Realm  do  not  know,  only  the  Father  knows. 

"It  will  be  just  as  it  was  in  the  days  of  Noah. 

In  the  days  before  the  flood,  they  were  eating  and 

drinking,  marrying  and  giving  in  marriage,  up 

to  the  day  that  Noah  entered  into  the  ark.    They 

—  285  — 


were  unconscious  of  its  nearness,  until  the  flood 
came  and  took  them  all  away. 

"Two  men  will  be  in  the  field  when  the  vision 
comes,  one  will  see  it,  the  other  will  not.  Two 
women  will  be  grinding  at  a  mill,  one  will  see  it, 
the  other  will  not.  Be  on  the  alert,  therefore,  for 
you  will  never  know  beforehand  the  day  of  the 
Lord's  presence.  Keep  close  watch  lest  your 
hearts  become  dull,  or  your  attention  distracted 
by  worldly  thoughts,  or  by  dissipation,  or  drunk- 
enness, and  the  day  come  and  find  you  unprepar- 
ed and  catches  you  suddenly  as  in  a  trap.  The 
appearing  of  the  Son  of  man  is  going  to  be  just 
like  that,  to  all  the  world. 


^1  T  is  like  a  rich  man  going  away  for  an  indefi- 
nite time  and  leaving  his  estate  in  the 
care  of  his  servants.  He  tells  each  one  his  duty 
and  instructs  the  porter  to  be  on  the  watch  to  ad- 
mit him  when  he  returns.  You  must  be  like  that 
~  286  — 


porter,  forever  on  the  watch,  lest  the  Master  on 
his  return  finds  you  asleep.  He  may  come  at 
twilight,  he  may  come  at  midnight,  or  in  the  early 
morning.  What  he  told  the  porter,  I  tell  you, 
watch,  for  you  do  not  know  the  day  or  the  hour 
when  your   Lord  comes  near, 

"Therefore  you  must  be  watchful  all  the  time, 
for  just  when  you  think  it  most  unlikely,  the  Son 
of  man  will  be  near.  Do  not  become  careless,  or 
indifferent,  but  constantly  pray  that  you  may  be 
able  to  meet  all  the  coming  dangers  and  hard- 
ships and  be  ever  ready  to  face  the  Son  of  man. 


**/|rHE  Spiritual  Realm  is  like  a  group  of  ten 
maidens  who  took  their  lights  and  went 
to  meet  a  bridegroom  and  his  bride.  Five  of  the 
maidens  were  thoughtless  and  took  no  oil  foj 
their  lights,  but  five  of  them  were  wise  and  care-, 
fully  provided  a  supply.    Whik  they  waited  fof 


Matthew  25 :  1-13. 

—  287  — 


the  bridal  party  to  appear,  they  all  fell  asleep. 
But  at  midnight  the  cry  was  heard,  'Wake  up. 
The  bride  and  groom  have  come.  Go  out  and 
welcome  them.' 

''Then  the  maidens  arose  and  lit  their  lamps 
and  the  thoughtless  ones  said  to  the  wise,  Xet 
us  have  some  of  your  oil,  for  our  lights  are  going 
out.'  But  the  wise  answered,  'There  will  not  be 
enough  for  us  both.  You  must  go  to  them  that 
sell  and  buy  for  yourselves.'  While  they  went  to 
buy,  the  bridal  party  arrived  and  they  that  were 
ready  went  into  the  marriage  feast  and  the  door 
was  shut. 

"Afterwards  the  other  maidens  came,  the 
thoughtless  and  the  foolish  ones,  and  said,  'Lord, 
Lord,  open  the  door  for  us.'  But  he  said,  'I  do 
not  know  you.'  Be  ready,  therefore,  for  you  do 
not  know  the  day  or  the  hour  of  the  Lord's  ap- 
pearing. 


—  288  — 


♦♦JUHEN  the  Son  of  man  is  present  in  all  his 
glory  and  with  his  angels,  he  will  test 
the  men  of  every  nation.  He  will  separate  them 
one  from  another,  as  a  shepherd  separates  the 
sheep  from  the  goats.  He  will  set  the  sheep  on 
his  right  hand  and  the  goats  on  his  left.  Then 
shall  the  King  say  to  them  on  his  right  hand, 
'Come,  you  who  are  blessed  of  my  Father,  inher- 
it the  Spiritual  Realm  prepared  for  you  since  the 
creation.  For  I  was  hungry  and  you  gave  me 
food;  I  was  thirsty  and  you  gave  me  drink;  I 
was  a  stranger  and  you  welcomed  me;  poorly 
clad  and  you  clothed  me;  I  was  sick  and  you 
visited  me;  I  was  in  prison  and  you  came  to  see 
me.' 

"Then  the  good  men  will  answer,  Xord,  when 
did  we  see  you  hungry  and  feed  you?  or  thirsty 
and  give  you  drink?  When  did  we  see  you  a 
stranger  and  make  you  welcome?  or  poorly  clad 
and  clothe  you  ?  When  did  we  see  you  sick  or  in 
prison  and  come  to  you?' 


Matthew  25  :  31-46. 

—  289  — 


*'The  King  will  answer  and  say  to  them,  'Inas- 
much as  you  did  it  unto  one  of  my  brothers,  even 
the  least  of  them,  you  did  it  unto  me.' 

''Then  shall  he  say  to  them  on  his  left  hand: 
'You  must  go  away  with  my  condemnation.  For 
I  was  hungry  and  you  gave  me  no  food;  I  was 
thirsty  and  you  gave  me  nothing  to  drink;  I  was 
a  stranger  and  you  turned  me  away ;  I  was  poorly 
clad  and  you  refused  to  help  me ;  I  was  sick  and 
in  prison  and  you  did  not  come  to  see  me.' 

"Then  they  also,  will  say :  'Lord,  when  did  we 
ever  see  you  hungry,  or  thirsty,  or  a  stranger,  or 
naked,  or  sick,  or  in  prison,  and  did  not  help 
you?'  Then  the  King  will  answer  them,  'Inas- 
much as  you  did  not  do  it  unto  one  of  the  least, 
you  did  not  do  it  unto  me.'  And  these  will  go 
away  condemned,  but  the  good  will  enter  the 
timeless  Life  of  the  Spiritual  Realm." 


—  290  — 


'Tl  ESUS  said  to  his  disciples :  '*It  is  now  only 
two  days  to  the  Feast  of  the  Passover,  when 
I  am  to  be  delivered  up  to  be  crucified." 

Already  the  chief  priests  and  the  scribes  had 
determined  on  his  death  and  were  seeking  some 
way  to  accomplish  it  quietly,  for  they  were  afraid 
the  people  would  make  a  disturbance  if  it  were 
done  openly  during  the  feast. 

Just  at  this  time  the  evil  one  took  possession 
of  one  of  the  twelve,  named  Judas  Iscariot  and 
he  went  to  the  chief  priests  and  asked  what  they 
would  be  willing  to  give  him,  if  he  delivered  Je- 
sus into  their  hands.  They  were  very  glad  to 
bargain  with  him  and  finally  agreed  on  thirty 
pieces  of  silver,  which  they  weighed  out  and  gave 
him.  Judas  left  them  and  from  that  time  sought 
some  opportunity,  when  Jesus  was  away  from  the 
crowd,  to  deliver  him  to  them. 


Matthew  26:  1-5,  14-16;  Mark  14:  i,  2,  10,  11;  Luke 
22:  1-6. 


—  291  — 


A  S  usual  after  spending  the  day  at  the  temple, 
teaching,  Jesus  passed  the  night  with  his 
friends  in  Bethany,  on  the  Mount  of  Olives.  The 
writers  do  not  record  whether  Jesus  went  to  the 
temple  on  Wednesday,  or  not;  but  on  Thursday, 
which  was  the  first  day  of  unleavened  bread  when 
the  sacrifice  was  slain,  the  disciples  came  to  Jesus 
and  asked  him  where  he  planned  to  eat  the  pass- 
over. 

Jesus  said  to  Peter  and  John:  "I  want  you  to 
go  into  the  city  and  make  the  necessary  prepa- 
rations. As  you  enter  the  city  you  will  meet  a 
man  bearing  a  pitcher  of  water.  Follow  him  to 
the  house  that  he  enters  and  say  to  the  owner  of 
the  house,  'The  Master  says,  that  his  time  is  at 
hand  and  he  wishes  to  keep  the  passover  at  your 
house.'  He  will  show  you  a  large  upper  room 
furnished  as  a  guest  room  where  you  are  to  make 
ready  for  us."  The  disciples  went  to  the  city 
and  found  it  as  he  had  said  and  they  made  every- 
thing ready. 


Matthew  26:  17-29;    Mark   14:  12-25;   Luke  21:  27; 
22:  7-30;  John  13:  1-30,  34-35. 

—  292  — 


Tttt  HEN  evening  was  come  Jesus  went  w^ith 
the  twelve  to  eat  the  passover.  He  said  to 
them:  ''This  is  the  last  time  I  shall  eat  the  pass- 
over  Avith  you  before  I  suffer  and  I  have  looked 
forward  to  it  with  great  desire.  When  we  meet 
again  to  eat  the  passover,  it  will  be  in  the  Spir- 
itual Realm  and  you  will  then  understand  its  full 
significance." 

Jesus  knew  that  his  time  had  come  and  tliat 
it  would  be  only  a  few  hours  before  he  would 
leave  this  world  and  return  to  his  Father.  He  had 
loved  these  friends  of  this  world  and  he  loved 
them  to  the  end. 

There  arose  a  discussion  as  to  the  places  of 
honor  at  the  table  and  Jesus  said  to  them:  "The 
kings  of  the  nation  have  authority  over  their  sub- 
jects and  when  they  exercise  this  authority  they 
are  looked  upon  as  benefactors.  But  it  must  not 
be  so  with  you.  If  one  of  you  wants  to  be  great, 
let  him  be  as  the  younger;  or  if  he  wants  to  be 
the   most   important,   let   him   serve   the   others. 

You  ask,  'Is  not  the  one  who  sits  at  the  table, 

—  293  — 


more  important  than  he  that  serves?'  Yet  I  am 
among  you  here  as  the  servant,  and  you,  who 
have  been  with  me  in  my  temptations,  when  we 
come  into  my  Kingdom,  will  be  my  guests  and 
will  eat  and  drink  at  my  table." 

Jesus  knew  that  he  had  come  from  Sovereign 
Love  and  was  soon  to  return  to  his  glory.  He 
knew  that  the  Father  had  given  all  things  into  his 
hands.  He  knew,  also,  that  the  evil  one  had 
already  taken  possession  of  the  heart  of  Judas 
Iscariot.  He  knew  all  this,  but  he  rose  from  the 
table,  laid  aside  his  outer  garment  and  girded 
himself  with  a  towel.  Then  he  took  a  basin  of 
water  and  began  to  wash  the  feet  of  his  disciples 
and  to  wipe  them  with  the  towel. 

When   he   came  to   Peter,   Peter   said,   "Lord 

must  you  wash  my  feet?"    Jesus  said,  "You  do 

not  fully  understand  now  what  I  am  doing,  but 

later  on  you  will."     Peter  said,  "I  can  never  let 

you  wash  my  feet."    Jesus  said,  "If  I  do  not,  you 

can  have  no  part  with  me."     Peter  said,  ''Lord, 

if  that  is  so,  T  want  you  to  wash,  not  only  my 
—  294  — 


feet,  but  my  hands  and  my  head."  Jesus  said, 
"If  I  wash  your  feet,  it  is  enough — you  will  be 
clean.  And  you,  my  disciples,  are  already  clean, 
but  not  all." 

After  he  had  washed  their  feet,  he  resumed 
his  garments  and  sat  down  again  with  them.  Then 
he  said,  "Do  you  understand  the  significance  of 
what  I  have  done?  You  call  me,  Master,  and, 
Lord,  and  it  is  all  right,  for  I  am.  If  I  then, 
your  Lord  and  Master,  have  washed  your  feet, 
you  ought  to  be  willing  to  wash  one  another's 
feet.  I  have  set  you  an  example.  You  should 
do  to  others  as  I  have  done  to  you. 

"It  is  true  that  a  servant  is  not  greater  than 
his  master,  or  one  who  is  sent  greater  than  he 
who  sent  him.  Nevertheless,  true  greatness  is 
found  in  service.  You  know  this  and  blessed  are 
you  if  you  really  practice  it.  I  give  you  a  new 
commandment,  that  you  love  one  another ;  and 
by  this  shall  all  men  know  that  you  are  my  dis- 
ciples, if  you  do  love  one  another." 

—  295  — 


A  FTER  Jesus  had  said  this,  he  was  greatly 
troubled  in  spirit  and  finally  said,  "The 
one  who  is  going  to  betray  me,  is  even  now  eating 
with  us  at  this  table.  The  Son  of  man,  indeed, 
must  die  as  it  has  been  determined ;  but  woe  will 
come  to  the  man  by  whom  he  is  betrayed.  It 
were  better  if  he  had  never  been  born." 

The  disciples  were  filled  with  sorrow  and  sur- 
prise and  looked  at  one  another  in  doubt  as  to 
whom  he  meant.  Then  one  by  one  they  began  to 
ask  him,  "Lord,  is  it  I  ?"  Reclining  at  the  table, 
very  near  to  him,  was  the  disciple  whom  Jesus 
particularly  loved.  Peter  beckoned  to  him  to 
ask,  who  it  was.  This  disciple  leaned  closer  to 
Jesus  and  whispered,  "Who  is  it,  Lord?"  Jesus 
replied,  "It  is  he  to  whom  I  will  pass  some  food." 
Then  Jesus  handed  some  food  to  Judas  Iscariot. 
The  latter  said,  "Am  I  the  one.  Teacher?"  Jesus 
replied,  "You  have  said  the  words.  What  you 
have  to  do,  do  quickly." 

No  one  at  the  table  understood  the  intent  of 

the  words.    Some  thought  that  as  Judas  carried 

—  296  — 


the  money  for  the  little  company,  that  Jesus  had 
given  him  instructions  to  go  out  and  buy  some 
needful  things  for  the  feast,  or,  perhaps,  had  told 
him  to  go  and  make  some  gift  to  the  poor.  At 
any  rate  Judas  rose  and  left  the  room  and  went 
out  into  the  night. 


0\   S   they  were  eating,  Jesus  took  bread  and 

asked  a  blessing  upon  it  and  then  broke  it 

into  smaller  pieces  and  passed  it  to  his  disciples. 

He  said,  "Take  of  this  and  eat.    This  is  my  body 

which  is  broken  for  you." 

Then  he  took  a  cup  and,  after  he  had  given 
thanks,  he  passed  it  to  his  disciples  and  said:  *'I 
want  you  all  to  drink  of  this  cup,  for  this  is  my 
blood,  shed  for  many.  I  am  making  a  new  cov- 
enant with  you  for  the  remission  of  sin  and  am 
sealing  it  with  my  blood.  When  I  again  drink 
the  juice  of  the  grape  with  you,  it  will  be  the  new 

kind  in  the  Spiritual  Realm. 

—  297  — 


Ji  AM  the  true  vine  and  my  Father  is  the  vine- 
dresser. Every  branch  in  me  that  does  not 
bear  fruit,  he  cuts  away.  Every  branch  that 
bears  fruit,  he  prunes  and  trains  it  so  that  it  will 
bear  more  fruit.  You  are  already  cleansed  by 
my  counsel  with  you.  Continue  to  follow  my 
teachings  so  that  I  may  abide  with  you. 

*'Just  as  a  branch  can  not  bear  fruit  of  itself, 
except  it  continue  a  part  of  the  vine,  so  neither 
can  you,  unless  you  continue  with  me,  for  I  am 
the  vine  and  you  are  the  branches.  He  that  con- 
tinues with  me  so  that  I  may  continue  with  him, 
bears  much  fruit,  but  separated  from  me  you  can 
do  nothing.  If  a  man  forsakes  me  he  withers 
away  as  a  detached  branch  withers  and  is  cast 
aside  and  then  is  gathered  and  burned.  If  you 
continue  to  follow  me  and  my  teachings  control 
your  lives,  you  may  ask  what  you  wish  and  you 
will  have  it. 

**When  you  bear  much  fruit,  it  glorifies  my 
Father  and  shows  that  you  are  truly  my  disciples. 

John  15  and  16. 

—  298  — 


As  the  Father  has  loved  me,  so  have  I  loved  yon. 
I  want  you  to  continue  in  the  same  loving  rela- 
tion with  me  and  it  is  possible  for  you  to  do  so 
if  you  keep  my  commandments;  just  as  I  have 
kept  my  Father's  commandments  and  abide  in  his 
love.  These  things  I  have  spoken  to  you  that  I 
may  have  gladness  in  you  and  that  your  joy  may 
be  complete. 

*'This  is  my  commandment  that  you  love  one 
another,  just  as  I  have  loved  you.  A  man  can 
have  no  greater  love  than  a  willingness  to  lay 
down  his  life  for  his  friends.  You  are  my  friends 
if  you  do  whatever  I  command  you.  I  do  not 
call  you  servants  any  more,  for  servants  are  not 
taken  into  the  confidence  of  their  master.  I  call 
you  friends  and  have  shown  you  everything  that 
I  have  heard  from  my  Father.  You  have  not 
chosen  me,  but  I  have  chosen  you  and  have  vital- 
ized you  to  bear  fruit  and  fruit  that  will  last.  It 
is  because  of  this  relation  that  you  may  ask  of 
the  Father  what  you  will  and,  if  it  is  asked  in  my 
name,  that  is,  with  the  Love  Thought  controlling, 

he  will  give  it  to  you. 

—  299  — 


♦♦JlfHIS  is  what  I  command  you,  to  love  one 
another.  The  world  may  hate  you.  Nev- 
er mind,  remember  that  it  hated  me  before  it 
hated  you.  The  world  naturally  loves  its  own. 
It  is  because  you  are  not  of  this  world, — because 
I  have  called  you  to  transcend  it,  that  the  world 
hates  you.  Remember  what  I  told  you,  'A  serv- 
ant is  not  greater  than  his  master.'  If  they  perse- 
cuted me,  they  will  persecute  you.  They  did  not 
keep  my  word ;  they  will  not  keep  yours.  Because 
they  do  not  know  him  who  sent  me,  then  you, 
who  bear  my  name,  must  share  with  me  all  this 
suffering. 

"He  that  hates  me,  hates  my  Father  also.  I 
came  among  them  and  did  things  that  no  other 
man  ever  did.  They  witnessed  them,  and,  in 
spite  of  it,  they  hated  both  me  and  my  Father, 
and  therefore,  are  responsible  for  their  sin.  If 
I  had  not  come  and  spoken  to  them,  they  would 
not  have  done  this ;  but,  as  it  is,  they  have  no 
excuse.    This  was  long  ago  foretold  in  the  book 

of  the  Law,  'They  hated  me  without  a  cause* 

—  300  — 


"When  I  go  to  the  Father,  I  propose  to  send 
to  you  from  him,  the  Advocate  and  Comforter, 
who  is  the  very  VltaHty  of  Truth,  for  he  issues 
from  the  Father.  When  he  comes  he  will  bear 
witness  of  me,  and  you,  who  have  been  with  me 
from  the  beginning,  must  also,  bear  witness. 

But  there  are  certain  things  that  you  must  ex- 
pect, and  I  tell  you  so  that  you  may  not  be  taken 
by  surprise.  They  will  expel  you  from  the  syna- 
gogues,— yes,  more  than  that,  the  time  is  near 
when  they  will  kill  you  and  think  that  by  so 
doing  they  are  rendering  Sovereign  Love  a  ser- 
vice. But  they  do  these  things  in  ignorance.  If 
they  really  knew  the  Father,  or  me,  they  would 
not  do  them.  I  tell  you  these  things,  so  thc.t 
when  the  hour  comes  and  you  recall  what  I  have 
said,  you  will  have  increased  faith  in  me. 


—  301  — 


♦♦^IN  the  early  days  of  our  association,  I  did 
not  tell  you  what  was  going  to  happen 
because  I  would  be  with  you,  but  now  I  am  re- 
turning to  him  that  sent  me.  You  do  not  appear 
interested  in  where  I  am  going,  but,  instead,  your 
hearts  are  filled  with  sorrow  about  the  things  that 
I  have  told  you  are  going  to  happen.  Neverthe- 
less, and  I  am  telling  you  the  truth,  it  is  most  im- 
portant for  you  that  I  go  away.  If  I  do  not  go 
away,  the  Advocate  and  (Comforter  will  not  come 
to  you.  But,  if  I  do  go,  I  will  certainly  send  him 
to  you.  And  he,  when  he  comes,  will  instruct  the 
world  as  to  the  true  nature  of  sin,  of  goodness, 
and  of  judgment. 

"The  Advocate  and  Comforter  will  show  that 
the  essence  of  sin  lies  in  not  believing  in  me,  for  to 
distrust  the  Love  Thought  is  to  be  disloyal  to 
Sovereign  Love,  who  sent  me  into  the  world. 

"The  Advocate  and  Comforter  will  show  that 
goodness  consists  in  self-sacrificing  love, — be- 
cause the  Father  was  willing  to  send  me  into  the 

world  and  because  I  am  willing  to  lay  down  my 

—  302  — 


life  and  return  to  the  Father  and  you  will  see  my 
face  no  more. 

*'The  Advocate  and  Comforter  will  show  that 
the  Law  of  Love  of  the  Spiritual  Realm  is  su- 
preme and  that  tested  by  that  standard  the  world 
principle  of  self-preservation  has  been  decisively 
judged. 

"There  are  many  things  that  I  want  to  tell 
you,  but  you  are  not  ready  for  them.  When  the 
Advocate  and  Comforter,  who  is  himself  Vital 
Reality,  comes,  he  will  guide  you  into  all  truth. 
He  will  not  reveal  truth  indiscriminately,  but  will 
tell  only  what  he  is  authorized  to  reveal  and  will 
show  you  only  what  it  is  necessary  for  you  to 
know  of  the  future.  He  will  glorify  me  because 
he  will  make  understandable  to  you  the  suprem- 
acy of  the  Love  Thought,  for  all  that  the  Father 
has,  he  has  given  to  me. 

*'In  a  little  while  you  will  see  me  no  more  and 

then  a  little  while  and  you  will  see  me."     The 

disciples    whispered   among   themselves,    *'What 

does  he  mean?    He  said  in  a  little  while  you  will 

—  303  — 


not  see,  and  again,  in  a  little  while  you  will  see.' 
And  what  does  he  mean  when  he  said,  'because  I 
go  to  the  Father'?     We  are  all  confused. 

Jesus  perceived  this  and  said:  "Are  you  en- 
quiring among  yourselves  as  to  what  I  mean  by 
these  words  ?  In  a  little  while  you  will  weep  and 
lament,  but  the  world  will  rejoice.  You  will  be 
sorrowful,  but  in  a  little  while  your  sorrow  will 
be  changed  into  joy.  When  a  woman  is  in  labor 
she  suffers  much ;  but  when  the  child  is  born  she 
remembers  her  anguish  no  more,  in  the  gladness 
that  is  hers,  because  she  has  brought  a  child  into 
the  world. 

"  You  are  sorrowful  now  at  my  leaving  you, 
but  when  you  see  me  again,  your  heart  will  re- 
joice and  this  later  gladness  no  one  can  take  from 
you.  From  that  day  I  do  not  want  you  to  ask  of 
me;  you  must  ask  of  the  Father  and  whatever 
you  ask  of  him  in  my  name,  he  will  give  you. 
Hitherto  you  have  not  asked  in  my  name,  but 
hereafter  you  must  ask  and  will  receive  that  your 

gladness  may  be  complete. 

—  304  — 


"I  have  hitherto  spoken  in  parables,  but  the 
time  is  near  when  I  will  no  more  speak  in  para- 
bles, but  will  reveal  to  you,  so  that  you  will  un- 
derstand intuitively  the  nature  of  the  Father. 
After  that  day  you  must  ask  in  my  name  and  the 
Father  will  answer  you.  It  will  not  be  necessary 
for  me  to  intercede  for  you,  for  the  Father, 
himself,  loves  you,  because  you  have  loved 
me  and  believed  that  I  came  forth  from  him.  I 
issued  from  the  Father  and  appeared  in  the 
world.  Again  I  disappear  from  the  world  and 
return  to  the  Father." 

His  disciples  said,  *'Now  you  speak  plainly  and 
we  understand  you.  We  are  confident,  now,  that 
you  know  all  things  and  that  we  need  not  hesitate 
to  believe  you.  We  do  believe  that  you  come 
forth  from  God."  Jesus  said  to  them:  "But  do 
you  really  believe?  Listen,  the  hour  is  coming, — 
yes,  it  is  already  here — when  you  will  be  scat- 
tered, each  one  going  his  own  way  and  leaving 
me  alone.     And  yet  I  am  not  alone  because  the 

Father  is  with  me.    I  have  spoken  these  things  to 

—  305  — 


you  so  that  you  will  have  peace  in  me.  In  the 
world  you  will  have  affliction;  but  be  of  good 
courage,  I,  the  Love  Thought,  have  overcome  the 
world." 


'TIESUS  said:  "The  Son  of  man  is  now  being 
glorified  and  Sovereign  Love  is  being  glori- 
fied in  him.  If  Sovereign  Love  is  glorified  in 
him,  he  will  speedily  glorify  him  in  himself.  My 
dear  friends,  I  am  with  you  only  a  little  while 
longer ;  then  you  will  search  for  me,  but  as  I  told 
the  Jews — and  I  repeat  it  to  you — where  I  go 
you  can  not  come. 

Peter  said  to  him,  "Lord,  where  do  you  go." 
Jesus  replied,  "You  cannot  follow  me  now,  but 
you  will  follow  me  afterward."  Peter  said, 
Lord,  why  can  I  not  follow  you  even  now?  I 
will  lay  down  my  life  for  you."  Jesus  said  to  the 
disciples,  "It  is  written.  When  they  smite  the 


Matthew  26:  31-35;  Mark  14:  27-31;  Luke  22:  31-38; 

John  13:  31-33;  36-38. 

—  306  — 


shepherd  the  sheep  zvill  be  scattered.'    Listen  to 

what  I  am  paying,  This  very  night  all  of  you  will 

forsake  me,  but  when  I  reappear,  I  will  meet  you 

in  Galilee."     Peter  spoke  up,  and  said  earnestly, 

''Even  if  all  the  rest  forsake  you,  I  will  not.  Lord, 

I  am  ready  to  go  to  prison,  or  even  to  death  with 

you."    And  the  others  said  the  same. 

Jesus  said :  "Are  you  willing  to  lay  down  your 

lives  for  me  ?    Why,  Peter,  this  very  night  before 

the  cock  crows  you  will  deny  me  three  times. 

Oh  my  disciples,  when  I  sent  you  forth  without 

purse,  or  clothing,  or  extra  shoes,  did  you  suffer 

any  lack?"     They  answered,  "Nothing."     Jesus 

said,  "In  this  emergency  do  you  expect  that  I  will 

say  any  different  to  you  ?  Do  you  expect  me  to  say 

that  from  now  he  that  has  a  purse  must  take  it 

and  likewise  a  handbag?  and  he  that  does  not 

have  a  sword  must  sell  his  cloak  and  buy  one? 

Not  at  all.    It  was  written,  'He  zvas  included  with 

the  criminals.'    This  and  all  that  has  been  written 

must  be  fulfilled  to  the  end." 

—  307  — 


As  had  happened  so  often  the  disciples  misun- 
derstood him  and  one  of  them  said,  "Lord,  here 
are  two  swords."  Jesus  repHed  in  discouragement, 
"You  have  misunderstood  me." 


^f  HEN  Jesus  said  to  them :  "Let  not  your 
hearts  be  troubled  even  now.  Only  trust 
Sovereign  Love  and  continue  to  trust  me.  In  my 
Father's  Realm  are  many  abiding  places  and  I  am 
going  to  prepare  a  place  for  you.  If  I  go  and 
prepare  a  place  I  will  surely  come  again  and  wel- 
come you  to  our  home,  that  where  I  am,  there 
you  may  be  also.  As  you  know  where  I  am 
going,  you  will  know  the  way." 

Thomas  said  to  him,  "Lord  we  don't  know 
where  you  are  going,  how  can  we  know  the 
way?"  Jesus  replied,  "I,  the  Love  Thought,  am 
the  Way,  the  Truth  and  the  Life.  No  one  comes 
to  the  Father  except  through  me.     If  you  have 

John  14. 

—  308— 


truly  known  me  you  have  known  the  Father,  also, 
and  from  henceforth  you  will  have  known  him, 
because  you  have  seen  him."' 

Philip  said,  "Lord,  show  us  the  Father,  it  is  all 
we  desire."  Jesus  said  to  him :  "Have  I  been  so 
long  with  you,  Philip,  and  still  you  do  not  under- 
stand me?  I  am  the  Father's  Love  Thought. 
He  that  has  perceived  me,  has  perceived  the  Fath- 
er also,  for  it  was  Sovereign  Love  that  sent  me. 
Why  did  you  ask  that,  Philip?  Do  you  not  be- 
lieve that  I  am  in  the  Father  and  the  Father  is  in 
me?  The  thoughts  that  I  express  to  you,  I  do 
not  originate  myself.  The  Father  who  is  abiding 
in  me,  is  bringing  to  pass  his  own  loving  purpose. 
Believe  and  trust  me,  when  I  say,  that  I  am  in 
the  Father  and  the  Father  is  in  me.  Or,  at  any 
rate,  believe  and  trust  me  because  of  my  life. 
Most  earnestly  I  say  unto  you,  he  that  intellec- 
tually believes  in  the  supremacy  of  the  Love 
Thought,  and  really  trusts  it  in  his  heart  of 
hearts  and  is  gladly  obedient  to  it  in  the  control 

of  his  life,  the  things  which  I  have  done,  he  can 

—  309  — 


do  and  even  more  than  I  have  done,  because  I  go 
to  the  Father;  whatever  you  ask  in  a  spirit  of 
love,  I  will  do  it,  that  the  Father  may  be  glorified 
in  the  Son. 

"If  you  ask  anything  in  my  name,  and  that 
means  that  it  must  be  in  accord  with  the  spirit  of 
my  life  and,  therefore,  in  harmony  with  the  pur- 
pose of  Sovereign  Love, — if  you  ask  anything  in 
that  spirit — I  will  do  it. 

''If  you  love  me,  you  will  keep  my  command- 
ments ;  and  I  will  pray  the  Father  and  he  will  give 
you  another  Friend,  the  Advocate  and  Comfort- 
er, who  will  remain  with  you  always.  This  Friend 
is  the  Divine  Love  Vitality,  whom  the  world  can 
not  receive,  because  it  is  neither  conscious  of 
him,  nor  knows  him.  But  you  know  him,  be- 
cause you  are  sensitive  to  his  presence  and  he 
will  be  present  with  you  forever. 

I  do  not  propose  to  leave  you  helpless;  I  will 

return  to  you.     In  a  little  while  the  world  will 

see  me  no  more,  but  you  will  still  be  conscious 

of  my  presence.     Because  I  shall  Live,  you  will 

—  310  — 


Live  also.  In  that  day  you  will  be  confident  that 
I  am  in  the  Father,  and  you  are  in  me,  and  I  am 
in  you.  He  that  appreciates  my  teachings  and 
tries  to  conform  his  life  to  them,  he  it  is  that 
loves  me.  And  he  that  cherishes  the  Love 
Thought,  loves  me  and  will  be  loved  by  my  Fath- 
er and  I  will  love  him  and  will  come  to  him  in 
such  a  way  that  he  will  be  conscious  of  my  pres- 
ence." 

The  other  Judas,  not  the  Iscariot,  said  to  him, 
''Lord,  how  will  it  be  possible  for  you  to  reveal 
yourself  to  us  and  not  to  the  world  ?"  Jesus  said : 
"'If  a  man  love  me,  he  will  be  cherishing  the  Love 
Thought,  and  his  life  will  conform  to  it,  and  the 
Father  will  love  him  and  we  will  come  to  him 
in  the  vitality  of  a  higher  order  of  Life,  by  rea- 
son of  which  you  will  be  conscious  of  our  pres- 
ence. The  one  who  does  not  love  me,  will  not 
conform  his  life  to  the  Love  Thought,  and  will, 
therefore,  lack  the  necessary  condition  for  re- 
ceiving this  spiritual  vitality. 

—  311  — 


"I  am  only  mentioning  these  things  while  I 
am  still  with  you,  but  after  I  am  gone,  the  Father 
will  send  at  my  request,  the  Advocate  and  Com- 
forter, who  is  the  Divine  Love  Vitality,  and  he 
will  gradually  teach  you  all  things  and  bring  to 
your  remembrance  all  that  I  have  said  to  you. 

"Let  your  hearts  be  peaceful.  My  own  sereni- 
ty of  spirit  I  bequeath  to  you.  This  is  not  said 
lightly,  as  the  world  wishes  one  farewell.  Let 
not  your  heart  be  troubled,  neither  let  it  be  afraid. 
You  have  heard  me  say  that  I  am  going  away 
and  will  come  to  you  again.  This  ought  to  make 
you  glad  and  not  fearful  because  I  will  be  going 
to  the  Father,  who  is  greater  than  L  There  will 
be  no  opportunity  to  say  very  much  m.ore  to  you. 
What  I  have  said,  you  will  appreciate  better  after 
I  am  gone  and  it  will  give  you  increased  confi- 
dence in  me.  The  evil  spirit  of  the  world  is  at 
hand ;  and,  although  he  has  no  authority  over  me, 
it  will  serve  to  show  the  world  that  I  love  the 
Father  and  that  what  I  am  doing  is  in  full  accord 

with  his  purpose." 

—  312  — 


/TT  HEN  Jesus  lifted  his  eyes  in  prayer :  "Fath- 
er, the  hour  has  come.  Glorify  thy  Son  that 
he  may  glorify  thee.  Thou  gavest  him  authority 
over  all  mankind,  that  he  might  give  the  timeless 
spiritual  Life  to  all  whom  thou  has  given  him. 
And  this  is  the  essence  of  the  spiritual  Life,  that 
they  should  know  thee,  Sovereign  Love,  to  be 
Love  Absolute  and  the  only  true  God;  and  him, 
whom  thou  hast  sent,  to  be  thine  own  Love 
Thought  and  the  Messiah. 

*'I  have  glorified  thee  on  earth  and  have  ac- 
complished the  work  which  thou  hast  given  me  to 
do;  and  now,  Father,  glorify  thou  me  in  thine 
own  presence  with  the  glory  that  I  had  with  thee 
before  the  world  existed.  I  have  revealed  thy 
love  to  the  men  thou  gavest  me  out  of  the  world. 
They  were  thine  and  they  have  been  loyal  to  thee. 
They  know  that  all  things  which  thou  hast  given 
me  are  from  thee. 

"The  truths  that  thou  didst  teach  me,  I  have 
taught  them  and  they  have  received  them  and 

John  17. 

—  313  — 


really  believe  that  I  have  come  forth  from  thee 
and  that  thou  didst  send  me.  I  do  not  pray  for 
the  world,  but  I  do  pray  for  them  which  thou  hast 
given  me.  They  are  thine,  just  as  everything 
that  I  have  is  thine ;  and  everything  that  is  thine 
is  mine  and  I  am  glorified  in  them. 

*'Now  I  am  coming  to  thee  and  will  be  in  the 
world  no  longer,  but  they  are  still  to  be  in  the 
world.  Oh  Divine  Father,  keep  them  in  the  safe- 
ty of  thy  love,  the  love  which  thou  gavest  to  me, 
that  they  may  be  united  even  as  we  are.  While 
I  was  with  them  I  kept  them  in  thy  love,  the  love 
which  thou  hast  given  me,  and  not  one  of  them 
was  lost.  But  now  I  come  to  thee  and  I  speak 
these  things  while  I  am  still  with  them  that  they 
may  realize  the  fullness  of  my  joy  in  them. 

*'I  have  given  them  thy  love  and,  as  they  are 

not  of  this  world,  just  as  I  am  not,  the  world  has 

hated  them.     I  do  not  pray  that  thou  shouldest 

take  them  out  of  the  world,  but  that  thou  shouldst 

keep  them  from  the  evil  in  the  world.    They  do 

not  belong  to  the  world,  any  more  than  I ;  there- 

—  314  — 


fore,  let  thy  love  make  them  different  from 
worldly  men.     Thy  love  is  the  only  true  reality. 

''I  am  sending  them  into  the  world,  just  as 
thou  sent  me.  In  order  that  they  may  be  fully 
consecrated  to  thy  truth,  I  reconsecrate  myself 
for  their  sakes.  I  do  not  pray  for  these  alone, 
but,  for  all  those  who  will  believe  and  trust  in 
me  through  their  influence.  I  pray  that  they  may 
all  be  united  in  love,  even  as  thou,  Father,  art  in 
me  and  I  in  thee,  that  they  also  may  be  in  us. 
May  the  world  see  in  this  unity  the  evidence  that 
thou  didst  send  me. 

*'The  glory  which  thou  hast  given  me,  I  have 
given  them  that  they  may  recognize  their  unity 
to  be  the  same  as  our  unity.  I  will  be  in  them, 
just  as  thou  art  in  me,  so  that  they  may  be  drawn 
together  and  the  world  may  know  that  thou  didst 
send  me,  and  that  thou  lovedst  them,  just  as  thou 
hast  loved  me. 

''Father,  I  pray  that  they  whom  thou  hast  given 

me,  may  be  with  me  where  I  am,  so  that  they  may 

see  my  glory,  the  glory  which  thou  hast  given 

—  315  — 


me,  for  thou  didst  love  me  before  the  existence  of 
the  natural  realm. 

*'Oh  most  righteous  Father,  the  world  does  not 
appreciate  thee ;  but  I  know  thee,  and  these  disci- 
ples of  mine  know  that  thou  didst  send  me.  I 
have  revealed  thy  love  to  them  and  will  still 
make  it  clearer,  that  the  love  wherewith  thou 
hast  loved  me  may  be  in  them,  just  as  I  am  in 
them." 

After  the  prayer  Jesus  said  to  his  disciples: 
*'The  hour  is  here.    Come,  let  us  be  going." 


—  316  — 


A 


CHAPTER  NINE 

Triai,  and  Execution. 

FTER  leaving  the  house  where  they  had  eat- 
en the  passover  supper,  Jesus  and  his  dis- 
ciples went  out  of  the  city  and  across  the  Kedron 
valley  to  a  garden  on  the  side  of  the  Mount  of 
Olives.  The  Garden  was  called  Gethsemane; 
and  Jesus  and  his  disciples  had  been  there  before 
to  rest.  The  hour  was  very  late — it  was  probably 
early  Friday  morning. 

Jesus  said  to  his  disciples,  "Rest  here  a  little, 
while  I  go  over  there  and  pray."  Then  taking 
Peter  and  James  and  John  he  went  into  a  more 
secluded  part  of  the  garden.  Jesus  was  evidently 
very  much  agitated  and  depressed.  He  said  to 
his    companions,    ''My   soul   is   very    sorrowful, 


Matthew  26:  36-46;  Mark  14:  32-42;  Luke  22:  39-46; 

John  18:  I. 

—  317  — 


almost  unto  death.  I  want  you  to  stay  near  and 
watch  with  me.  Pray  that  you  may  not  be 
tempted." 


11  HEN  he  went  forward  a  Httle  and  fell  on 


(3 


face  and  prayed  very  earnestly.     He  said, 

"Oh  my  Father,  if  thou  be  willing,  let  this  cup 

pass  away.     Nevertheless,  not  my  will,  but  thine 

be  done."    There  appeared  to  him  an  angel  from 

the  Spiritual  Realm,  who  encouraged  him,  but 

still  being  in  an  agony  of  spirit,  he  prayed  the 

more  earnestly  until  the  sweat  dropped  from  his 

face.     Then  he  returned  to  his  companions  and 

found  them  sleeping.     He  said  to  Peter,  "Peter, 

are  you  asleep  ?    Can  you  not  watch  with  me  one 

hour?    The  spirit  is  eager,  I  know,  but  the  flesh 

is  weak." 

So   he  left  them   and   went   away   again   and 

prayed,   "My  Father,  if  this  cup  can  not  pass 

away  unless  I  drink  it,  thy  will  be  done."   Again 

he  returned  and  found  them  asleep,  for  they  were 

—  318  — 


very  tired.  So  he  left  them  for  the  third  time 
and  prayed  the  same  prayer.  When  he  returned 
he  found  them  still  sleeping.  He  said:  "What, 
are  you  still  asleep?  Still  resting?  Come,  the 
hour  is  here  in  which  the  Son  of  man  is  to  be 
betrayed  into  the  hands  of  wicked  men.  Wake 
up  now.  We  must  be  going,  for  he  that  is  to 
betray  me  has  come." 


^Itttt'HILE  he  was  yet  speaking,  Judas  Iscariot, 
who  had  been  one  of  the  twelve,  drew 
near.  Judas  knew  of  this  place  as  one  where 
Jesus  had  occasionally  gone  with  his  disciples 
and,  having  received  a  band  of  men  from  the 
chief  priests  and  scribes  and  Pharisees,  and 
knowing  that  Jesus  had  left  the  city,  they  fol- 
lowed in  search  of  him.  They  were  a  band  of 
roughs,  armed  with  spears  and  clubs,  some  having 
lanterns  and  some  torches.     Judas  had  told  tlie 


Matthew  26:  47-56;  Mark  14:  43-52;  Luke  22:  47-53; 
John  18:  2-1 1. 

—  319  — 


officers  that  the  one  he  would  kiss,  would  be 
Jesus,  the  one  they  were  sent  to  arrest. 

Jesus  knew  just  what  was  going  to  happen, 
but  went  forward  to  meet  them.  He  said  to  them 
kindly,  "Whom  do  you  seek?"  They  replied, 
"We  are  looking  for  Jesus  of  Nazareth."  Jesus 
said  to  them,  "I  am  he."  The  crowd  seemed 
embarrassed  at  this  and  fell  back.  Just  at  this 
moment,  Judas  came  forward  and  said  to  Jesus, 
"Good  morning,  Teacher,"  and  kissed  him  effus- 
ively. Jesus  said  to  him,  "Judas,  are  you 
betraying  the  vSon  of  man,  with  a  kiss?  Well, 
do  quickly  what  you  have  come  to  do." 

Those  of  Jesus'  disciples  who  stood  near,  said 
to  him,  "Master,  shall  we  fight  ?"  Peter,  without 
waiting,  drew  a  sword  and  struck  at  the  one 
nearest  him,  who  happened  to  be  a  servant  of 
the  high  priest,  named  Malchus,  and  cut  off  his 
right  ear.  Jesus  said  to  the  wounded  man,  "For- 
give him  this  time,"  and  he  touched  the  ear  and 
healed  it.    Then  he  said  to  Peter,  "Put  up  your 

sword,  Peter.     They  that  appeal  to  the  sword, 

—  320  — 


shall  perish  by  it.  Do  you  think  that  I  am  help- 
less? Why,  I  have  only  to  ask  the  Father  and 
he  would  send  legions  of  angels,  but  if  I  did  that, 
how  could  the  scriptures  be  fulfilled?" 

Then  the  roughs  drew  near  to  lay  hands  on 
him.  Jesus  said  to  them,  "Have  you  come  with 
swords  and  clubs  as  though  I  were  a  robber?  I 
was  daily  with  you  in  the  temple  and  you  did  not 
molest  me;  but  this  is  your  hour  and  the  powers 
of  darkness  are  with  you."  So  the  chief  captain 
and  the  roughs  bound  Jesus  and  took  him  away 
and  all  the  disciples  fled. 


/TTHEY  led  him  first  to  Annas.  Annas  had 
been  high  priest  and  was  the  father-in-law 
of  Caiaphas,  who  was  the  high  priest  that  year. 
Caiaphas  was  the  one  who  had  said  to  the  Jews 
that  it  was  expedient  that  one  man  should  die, 
rather  than  that  their  nation  be  imperiled.  Annas 
asked  Jesus  about  his  teachings  and  his  disciples. 

John  i8 :  12-24. 

—  321  — 


Jesus  answered  him  by  saying:  "I  have  always 
spoken  openly.  I  frequently  taught  in  synagogues 
and  in  the  temple  where  the  Jews  gather.  I 
never  had  secret  meetings.  Instead  of  question- 
ing me,  would  it  not  be  better  to  ask  those  who 
have  heard  me  speak  as  to  what  I  have  taught." 
At  this  reply  one  of  the  attendants  standing 
near  struck  Jesus,  saying,  "Is  that  the  way  to 
answer  the  high  priest?"  Jesus  replied,  "If  I 
have  told  an  untruth,  correct  me,  but  if  I  have 
spoken  the  truth,  why  should  you  strike  me?" 
Annas  then  sent  him  bound  to  Caiaphas,  the  high 
priest. 


fETER  and  one  other  of  the  disciples,  evi- 
dently John,  who  tells  the  incident,  after 
the  arrest  of  Jesus,  mingled  with  the  crowd  and 
followed  him.  John,  who  was  known  at  the  high 
priest's  palace,  went  into  the  court  of  the  palace 


Matthew    26 :  57-58,    69-75 ;    Mark    14 :  53-54,    66  72  ; 
Luke  22:  54-62;  John  18:  25-27. 

—  322  — 


with  the  soldiers,  but  Peter  stood  without.  John 
spoke  with  the  maid  at  the  door,  asking  her  to 
admit  Peter.  As  she  recognized  John  as  an 
acquaintance  of  the  high  priest,  she  consented  to 
do  so,  but  when  she  saw  Peter,  she  asked  him, 
''Are  you  not  one  of  this  man's  disciples  ?"  Peter 
replied,  '*No,  I  am  not." 

The  servants  and  attendants,  who  were  waiting 
in  the  court  yard,  as  the  night  air  was  cool,  had 
made  a  fire  of  coals  and  were  warming  them- 
selves. Peter  stood  with  them  by  the  fire.  One 
of  the  attendants  said  to  Peter,  ''Are  you  one  of 
his  disciples?^  Peter  denied  it,  but  another 
servant,  who  was  a  relative  of  the  one  whose 
ear  Peter  had  cut  off,  spoke  up  and  said,  "I 
think  that  I  saw  you  in  the  garden  with  him.  At 
any  rate  your  speech  shows  that  you  are  a 
Galilean." 

Peter  replied  with  some  heat,"  I  tell  you  I  do 

not  know  the  man."    While  he  was  still  speaking 

a  cock  crowed.     Peter  heard  it  and  instantly  he 

recalled  what  Jesus  had  said  to  him,  'Before  a 
—  323  — 


cock  crows,  you  will  have  denied  me  three  times.* 
It  made  him  bitterly  sorry  and  tears  filled  his 
eyes. 


5jJ  Y  this  time  the  whole  council  had  gathered 

at  the  palace  of  the  high  priest  and  when 
Jesus  was  brought  before  them,  they  sought  to 
show  sufficient  cause  for  putting  him  to  death. 
In  this  they  were  disappointed,  for  although  they 
examined  many  witnesses,  their  testimony  did 
not  agree. 

At  last  two  appeared  whose  words  almost 
agreed.  One  said  that  he  had  heard  Jesus  say, 
*''I  am  able  to  destroy  this  temple  of  God  and  in 
three  days  rebuild  it."  The  other  said  that  he 
had  heard  Jesus  say,  "I  will  destroy  this  temple 
that  is  made  with  hands  and  in  three  days  re- 
build it  without  hands." 

The  high  priest  stood  up  and  said,  "What  have 
you  to  reply,  to  what  these  witnesses  have  said?" 


Matthew  26:  59-68;  Mark  14:  55-65;  Luke  22:  63-71. 
—  324  — 


But  Jesus  remained  silent.  Then  the  high  priest 
said,  "I  want  you  to  tell  us  under  oath,  whether 
you  are  the  Messiah,  the  Son  of  God,  or  not." 
Jesus  replied,  **I  am ;  and  what  is  more,  the  time 
will  come  when  the  Son  of  man  will  be  seen 
sitting  on  the  right  hand  of  Omnipotence  and 
coming  in  the  clouds  of  the  sky." 

The  high  priest,  under  great  excitement  said, 
"What  further  need  of  witnesses  have  we?  We 
have  heard,  ourselves,  this  blasphemy.  What  is 
your  decision?"  They  answered,  ''He  is  worthy 
of  death." 

Then  the  attendants  who  held  Jesus,  began  to 
abuse  him.  Some  struck  him  with  their  hands, 
some  covered  his  eyes  and  mocked  him  and  chal- 
lenged him  to  tell  who  it  was  that  had  struck 
him.  Some  spit  in  his  face  and  in  many  other 
ways  insulted  him  and  treated  him  brutally. 


--  325  — 


yftt  HEN  Judas  Iscariot,  who  had  betrayed  him, 
learned  that  Jesus  had  been  condemned, 
he  was  overcome  with  remorse  and  repented  for 
what  he  had  done.  He  brought  back  the  thirty 
pieces  of  silver  to  the  chief  priests  and  elders  and 
said,  "I  have  sinned  and  betrayed  an  innocent 
man."  ''That  is  your  lookout.  It  does  not  con- 
cern us,"  they  said.  Judas  threw  the  money  on 
the  floor  and  went  away  and  killed  himself.  The 
chief  priests  gathered  up  the  money  and  said, 
"As  it  is  the  price  of  blood,  we  can  not  put  it 
back  into  the  sacred  treasury;  what  shall  we  do 
with  it?"  They  afterwards  decided  to  buy  with 
the  money,  a  field  in  which  to  bury  strangers. 
Because  of  this,  this  burial  place  has  always  been 
called,  ''The  field  of  blood."  By  so  doing  they 
unwittingly  had  fulfilled  an  ancient  prophecy  by 
Jeremiah. 


Matthew  27 :  3-10. 


—  326  — 


jftt  EANWHILE  the  high  priests  held  a  con- 
ference with  the  elders  and  the  scribes 
and,  very  early  Friday  morning,  they  sent  Jesus 
bound  to  Pontius  Pilate,  the  Roman  governor; 
and  the  whole  company  went  with  him.  When 
they  reached  the  governor's  palace,  Jesus  was 
taken  within,  but  the  Jewish  officials  remained 
without,  so  as  not  to  be  ceremonially  defiled  and 
thus  prevented  from  further  attendance  on  the 
Passover  rites. 

Pilate,  therefore,  went  out  to  them  and  said, 
"What  charge  do  you  bring  against  this  man?" 
They  replied  that  if  he  were  not  a  criminal,  they 
would  not  have  handed  him  over.  Pilate  said  to 
them,  *'If  you  think  that  he  has  done  wrong,  why 
do  you  not  examine  him  in  your  own  courts?" 
They  replied,  *'You  know  very  well,  that  we  are 
not  permitted  to  inflict  the  death  penalty."  Pilate 
then  said,  ''Well,  if  you  want  me  to  judge  him, 
you  must  bring  some  definite  charge  against  him. 


Matthew  27:  2,  11-14;  Mark  15:  1-5;  Luke  23:  1-3; 

John  18:  28-38. 

—  327  — 


What  is  it  that  he  has  done?"     Then  the  Jews 

began  to  accuse  Jesus  of  perverting  the  nation, 

threatening  to  destroy  the  temple,  refusing  to  pay 

taxes   to   Caesar,   and   calling   himself   Messiah, 

and  king. 

Pilate  then  returned  to  the  audience  room  of 

the  palace  and  called  Jesus  before  him.    He  asked 

him,  "Are  you  the  King  of  the  Jews?"     Jesus 

replied,  ''Are  you  asking  this  question  for  your 

own  information,  or  because  the  Jews  suggested 

it?"      Pilate   said,   ''Am   I   a   Jew?     Your   own 

nation  and  the  chief  priests  have  brought  many 

accusations  against  you.     Have  you  nothing  to 

say  for  yourself  ?"    To  this  Jesus  made  no  reply, 

even  when  it  was  repeated,  and  Pilate  wondered 

at  his  serenity  under  such  trying  circumstances. 

Then  Pilate  asked  him,  again,  "Are  you  the  King 

of  the  Jews?    Tell  me."    Jesus  replied,  "Yes,  I 

am,  but  my  kingdom  is  not  of  this  world.     If  it 

were,  my  men  would  fight  for  me  and  I  would  not 

be  delivered  to  the  Jews.     No,  my  kingdom  is 

independent  of  this  natural  order." 

—  328  — 


Pilate  said,  '*So  you  are  a  king,  are  you?" 
Jesus  said,  ''Certainly,  I  am  a  king.  I  have  come 
into  the  world  for  this  purpose,  and  for  this 
purpose  only,  to  bear  witness  of  the  only  king- 
dom of  true  reality;  and  every  one  that  belongs 
to  my  kingdom  acknowledges  my  authority." 
Pilate  said  to  him,  "What  is  true  reality." 


A  FTER  this  Pilate  went  out  to  the  Jews  and 
said  to  them,  "I  can  not  see  that  this  man 
has  committed  any  crime."  But  they  were  in- 
sistent and  said,  "His  teachings  are  stirring  up 
the  people  everywhere,  from  Galilee,  through  all 
Judea,  and  even  into  this  city." 

When  Pilate  heard  this,  he  asked  if  the  man 
was  a  Galilean.  When  he  learned  that  he  was, 
and  therefore  belonged  to  Herod's  jurisdiction, 
he  sent  him  to  Herod,  who  was  in  Jerusalem 
during  the  Feast.  When  Herod  saw  Jesus  he 
was  very  much  pleased,  for  he  had  desired  to  see 


Luke  23:  4-12;  John  18:  38. 

—  329  — 


him  for  a  long  time  and  he  hoped  to  see  him 
perform  some  miracle.  He  asked  him  many 
questions  but  Jesus  remained  silent.  The  chief 
priests  and  the  scribes,  who  had  followed,  stood 
by  vehemently  accusing  him,  and  Herod  and  his 
soldiers  were  making  sport  of  him.  Finally  they 
clothed  him  in  a  gorgeous  costume  and  sent  him 
back  to  Pilate.  Formerly  Herod  and  Pilate  had 
been  enemies,  but  from  this  day,  they  became 
friends. 


J'tjHEN  Jesus  was  brought  back  to  him,  Pilate 
summoned  the  chief  priests  and  the  rulers 
of  the  people.  He  surmised  that  they  had 
arrested  Jesus  and  sought  his  death  from  envy 
because  he  was  so  popular  with  the  people  gener- 
ally. Moreover  his  wife  had  just  sent  him  wo^d 
that  she  had  had  a  dream  about  Jesus  that  greatly 
troubled  her  and  warned  him  to  be  very  careful 


Matthew  27:  15-31;  Mark  15:  6-20;  Luke  23:  13-25; 

[ohn  18:  39-19:  16. 

—  330  — 


in  his  judgment,  because  she  beheved  him  to  be  a 
good  man. 

Pilate,  therefore,  sought  some  way  by  which 
he  might  release  Jesus.  There  was  at  this  time 
a  custom  in  Jerusalem  for  the  governor  to  release 
at  the  Passover  Feast  some  prisoner  whom  the 
people  might  choose.  Pilate  determined  to  take 
advantage  of  this  custom  to  release  Jesus.  So  he 
addressed  the  multitude  and  said:  "The  chief 
priests  have  brought  this  man  to  me  and  charged 
him  with  perverting  the  people  and  inciting  them 
to  rebellion.  I  have  carefully  examined  him  and 
do  not  find  any  ground  for  the  charge.  Herod 
has  also  examined  him  and  has  returned  him  to 
me  with  the  report  that  he  could  find  nothing  in 
his  conduct  worthy  of  death.  Is  it  your  wish 
that  I  release  to  you  at  this  time,  Jesus  the 
Nazarene  ?" 

But  the  chief  priests  had  already  influenced 

the  people  to  demand  the  release  of  a  notable 

prisoner  named  Barabbas.     This  Barabbas  had 

led  a  popular  insurrection  and  during  it  had  com- 
—  331  — 


mitted  murder,  for  which  he  had  been  shut  up  in 

prison.     When  Pilate  asked  them  if  he  should 

release  Jesus,  they  cried  out  in  a  tumult,  ''Away 

with  this  man  and   release  Barabbas !"     Pilate 

said  to  them,  ''What,  then,  shall  I  do  with  Jesus, 

that  is   called  the   Messiah?"     They  cried   out, 

"Crucify  him !  crucify  him !"     Pilate  again  said, 

"But  what  evil  has  he  ever  done?"     Still  they 

cried  in  great  excitement,  "Let  him  be  crucified." 

When  Pilate  saw  that  he  could  not  move  them, 

and  that  the   excitement   threatened   to   become 

more  serious,  he  gave  sentence  that  he  who  had 

committed  murder  should  be  released  and  Jesus 

should  be  crucified.    But  to  show  his  real  feeling 

about  it,  he  ordered  that  a  basin  of  water  be 

brought  and,  in  sight  of  them  all,  he  washed  his 

hands,  saying,  "I  am  innocent  of  the  death  of 

this  good  man.    Yours  is  the  responsibility."  And 

the  people  answered,  "His  blood  be  on  us  and 

our  children."     Then  Pilate  delivered  Jesus  to 

be  scourged  and  crucified. 

—  332  — 


The  soldiers  of  the  governor  took  him  into  the 
palace  barracks  and  after  scourging  him,  placed 
him  in  the  midst  of  the  whole  regiment.  They 
took  ofif  his  own  garments  and  clothed  him  in  a 
purple  robe.  They  plaited  a  crown  of  thorns  and 
put  it  on  his  head  and  placed  a  reed  in  his  hand 
for  a  scepter.  Then  in  derision  and  mockery, 
they  kneeled  down  before  him,  saying,  "Hail, 
King  of  the  Jews."  They  spat  upon  him,  they 
took  the  reed  and  struck  him,  and  with  their 
hands  they  beat  him. 

Pilate   decided   to   make   one   more   effort   to 

release  him.     He  led  Jesus  into  the  presence  of 

the  crowd  at  the  gate  of  the  palace,  just  as  he 

was,    pale   and    exhausted    from    his    scourging, 

clothed  in  the  purple  robe  and  still  wearing  the 

crown  of  thorns.    He  said,  '*!  bring  the  Nazarene 

into  your  presence  again  that  you  may  see  that 

he  has  been  scourged  and  that  you  may  know 

that  I  find  no  evidence  of  evil  in  him.     Look  at 

him.    Here,  indeed,  is  a  man !" 

^  333  -^ 


When  the  chief  priests  and  their  attendants 
saw  him,  they  cried  out,  ''Crucify  him!  Away 
with  him!"  Pilate  said  in  anger,  ''Why  don't 
you  crucify  him  yourselves?  I  can  find  no  fault 
in  him."  The  Jews  replied,  "We  have  a  law, 
that  whoever  blasphemes  the  name  of  God,  must 
die.  He  calls  himself  the  Son  of  God  and  is, 
therefore,  guilty  of  blasphemy."  When  Pilate 
heard  this  he  was  still  more  disturbed.  Again  he 
returned  to  the  palace  with  Jesus  and  asked  him. 
"Who  are  you,  anyway?"  As  Jesus  kept  silence 
he  continued,  "Why  do  you  refuse  to  speak  to 
me?  You  must  know  that  I  have  power  to 
release  you,  or  to  crucify  you." 

Then  Jesus  said,  "You  have  no  power  over 

me,  except  what  is  given  you  from  above.    They 

that    delivered    me    are   more    responsible    than 

you."    Again  Pilate  tried  to  release  him,  but  the 

Jews  cried  out,  "This  man  sets  himself  up  as  a 

king.     Any   one  that  makes   himself   a  king  is 

opposed  to  Caesar.    If  you  release  this  man,  you 

are  no  friend  of  Caesar."     Then  Pilate  led  the 
-^  334  — 


way  to  the  judgment  hall  and  took  his  seat  on 
the  throne. 

Pilate  said  to  the  Jews,  "Behold  your  King." 
They  cried  out,  ''Away  with  him  !  Crucify  him !" 
Pilate  said,  ''Shall  I  crucify  your  King?"  They 
cried  out,  "We  have  no  king  but  Caesar !" 

Then  Jesus  was  delivered  to  the  soldiers.  They 
took  away  the  purple  robe  and  the  crown  of 
thorns  and  reclothed  him  in  his  own  garments 
and  led  him  away  to  be  crucified. 


A  S  they  led  Jesus  away  they  laid  hold  of  a 
man  that  happened  to  be  coming  in  from 
the  country  and  compelled  him  to  go  with  them 
and  carry  the  cross.  This  man  was  Simon  of 
Cyrene.  He  was  the  father  of  Alexander  and 
Ru'fus. 

A  great  multitude  of  people  followed  them, 
among  whom  were  many  women,  who  beat  their 


Matthew  27:  32;  Mark  15:  21;  Luke  23:  26-32. 
—  335  — 


breasts  and  cried  aloud.  Jesus  was  touched  by 
this  and,  turning  to  them,  said:  "Daughters  of 
Jerusalem,  do  not  weep  for  me,  but  weep  for 
yourselves  and  your  children.  The  days  are 
drawing  near  when  the  cry  will  be  'Blessed  are 
the  women,  who  never  bore  children  and  are 
spared  the  agony  of  seeing  them  suffer !'  In  the 
days  that  are  to  come,  in  the  midst  of  your  suf- 
ferings, you  will  call  on  the  mountains  and  the 
hills  to  fall  on  you  and  cover  you." 


^IT  was  about  nine  o'clock  Friday  morning 
when  they  reached  a  place  outside  the  walls 
called  Golgotha.  Here  they  crucified  Jesus  and 
a  criminal  on  each  side  of  him.  The  soldiers 
offered  Jesus  a  stupifying  drink  made  of  a  drug 
dissolved  in  wine,  but  after  tasting  it,  he  refused 
to  drink  any  more.     Jesus  murmured,  ''Father, 


Matthew  27:  33-38;  Mark  15:  22-27;  Luke  23:  33-34; 
John  19:  16-24. 

—   000   — > 


forgive  them.  They  do  not  appreciate  what  they 
are  doing." 

Pilate  had  the  charge  against  Jesus  written  out 
in  Hebrew  and  Latin  and  Greek  and  displayed 
above  the  cross.  It  read,  "J^sus  of  Nazareth. 
The  King  of  the  Jews."  When  the  chief  priests 
saw  it  they  went  to  Pilate  and  asked  him  to 
change  it  to  read,  ''He  said  I  am  King  of  the 
Jews,"  but  Pilate  refused  to  change  it. 

After  the  soldiers  had  crucified  Jesus,  they 
divided  his  garments  in  portions  according  to 
custom,  one  portion  for  each  of  the  four  soldiers. 
Among  the  garments  was  the  tunic,  which  had 
been  woven  in  one  piece  without  seam  and  was 
especially  desirable.  For  this  the  soldiers  cast 
lots. 


—  337  — 


/TTHE  place  of  the  crucifixion  was  near  a  public 
road  and  the  passers  by  scoffed  at  him  and 
said,  ''Ha!  You  who  would  destroy  the  temple 
and  build  it  in  three  days,  why  don't  you  save 
yourself?  If  you  are  the  Messiah,  the  Son  of 
God,  come  down  from  the  cross !"  The  chief 
priests  and  scribes  mocked  him  and  said,  ''He 
saved  others,  but  he  can  not  save  himself.  Let 
this  Messiah,  this  King  of  Israel,  come  down 
from  the  cross,  that  we  may  see  and  believe.  He 
trusted  in  God  and  claimed  to  be  the  Son  of 
God.  If  God  cares  for  him,  let  him  deliver  him 
now."  The  soldiers  added  their  insults  and,  as 
they  offered  him  sour  wine  to  drink,  they  said, 
"If  you  are  the  king  of  the  Jews,  save  yourself." 
Even  one  of  the  criminals,  who  were  crucified 
with  him,  cast  the  same  reproach  at  him,  saying, 
"If  you  are  the  Messiah,  why  do  you  not  save 
yourself  and  us?"  But  the  other  criminal  re- 
buked the  first  and  said  to  him,  "Have  you  no 


Matthew  27:  39-43;  Markis :  29-32;  Luke  23:  35-37- 

Alatthew  27:  44;  Mark  15:  32;  Luke  23:  39-43- 
—  338  — 


fear,  even  of  God?  We  are  suffering  the  same 
punishment  as  he,  but  we  are  getting  only  what 
we  deserve;  he  has  done  nothing  wrong."  Then 
he  turned  to  Jesus  and  said,  **J^sus,  Lord, 
remember  me  when  you  come  into  your  King- 
dom." Jesus  said,  "Today  you  will  be  with  me 
in  Paradise." 

There  were  many  women  present,  among 
whom  were  those  that  had  followed  him  from 
Galilee  and  cared  for  him.  These  stood  apart 
by  themselves.  There  were  Mary  Magdalene, 
Mary,  the  mother  of  James  and  Joses,  Salome, 
and  many  others.  Among  those  standing  near 
the  cross  were  the  mother  of  Jesus,  her  sister, 
the  mother  of  Clopas,  and  his  beloved  disciple 
John.  When  Jesus  noticed  them  he  said  to  his 
mother,  "Mother,  he  is  to  be  your  son."  And  to 
John  he  said,  "John,  she  is  to  be  your  mother." 
From  that  hour  the  disciple  received  her  into  his 
own  home. 


Matthew  27:  55-56;  Mark  15:  40-41;  Luke  23:  48-49; 

John  19:  25-27. 

—  339  — 


A  BOUT  three  o'clock  Jesus  cried  out,  ''Oh 
Sovereign  Love,  My  God,  why  hast  thou 
forsaken  me?"  Those  that  were  standing  near, 
heard  the  cry  and  some  thought  that  he  was 
calHng  on  Elijah.  Some  one  ran  and  dipped  a 
sponge  in  sour  wine  and  putting  it  on  a  stick 
reached  up  to  give  him  a  drink.  Others  said, 
"Let  him  alone.  We  will  see  if  Elijah  comes  to 
help  him." 

Jesus  again  cried  out  in  a  loud  voice,  "Father, 
into  thy  hands  I  commend  my  spirit."  Then  he 
bowed  his  head  and  his  spirit  left  his  body. 

With  the  suffering  of  Jesus  on  the  cross  there 
seemed  to  be  a  responsive  shudder  running 
through  all  nature.  From  about  noon,  a  darkness 
had  settled  down  over  the  earth  that  remained 
until  his  spirit  had  left  his  body.  The  awful 
rumble  and  tremor  of  an  earthquake  was  felt. 
Rocks  and  the  tombs  were  rent  asunder  and  the 
great  veil  of  the  temple  was  torn  from  top  to 


Matthew  27:  45-54;  Mark  15:  33-39;  Luke  23:  44-47; 
John  19:  28-30. 

—  340  — 


bottom.  The  captain  of  the  soldiers  was  so  im- 
pressed by  the  solemnity  of  the  hour  that  he 
glorified  God  and  said,  ^'Surely  this  was  a  good 
man.  He  must  have  been,  as  he  said  he  was,  the 
Son  of  God." 

The  crowd  that  had  come  to  see  the  crucifixion 
were  sobered  by  the  awful  happenings  of  the  day 
and  returned  to  the  city  in  fear  and  trembling. 


JlTHE  leading  Jews  went  to  Pilate  and  explained 
to  him  that  the  next  day  was  their  sabbath 
and  a  day  of  especial  sacredness  because  it  was 
the  great  day  of  the  Passover  Feast.  For  this 
reason,  they  asked  that  the  bodies  be  not  per- 
mitted to  remain  on  the  cross.  They  asked  that 
if  they  were  not  already  dead  that  their  death 
might  be  hastened,  so  that  their  bodies  could  be 
removed  before  sundown.  Pilate  instructed  his 
soldiers  to  do  this,  but  when  they  came  to  Jesus, 

John  19:  31-37- 

—  341  — 


they  found  that  he  was  already  dead,  so  that  they 
did  not  need  to  break  any  bones.  In  order  to 
be  sure  of  his  death,  however,  a  soldier  pierced 
his  side  with  a  spear.  John  himself  ,saw  this  and 
vouches  for  its  truth. 

This  proved  to  be  the  fulfillment  of  two  ancient 
prophecies.  One  said,  "A  hone  of  him  shall  not 
be  broken."  The  other  said,  "They  looked  on 
him  whom  they  pierced." 


JTTHERE  vx^as  a  rich  man  of  Arimathea,  named 
Joseph,  who  was  a  good  man  and  highly 
esteemed.  He  was  a  believer  in  Jesus,  but  on 
account  of  his  position  as  a  member  of  the 
council,  he  kept  his  discipleship  secret,  although 
in  the  council  he  had  opposed  their  action  in 
condemning  Jesus  to  death. 

Joseph  went  boldly  to  Pilate  and  asked  that 
he  might  take  away  the  body  of  Jesus.     Pilate 


Matthew  27:  57-61;  Mark  15:  42-47;  Luke  23:  50-56; 
John  19:  38-42. 

—  342  — 


was  surprised  to  hear  that  he  was  already  dead 
and  sent  to  the  captain  of  the  guard.  When  he 
was  assured  that  Jesus  was  really  dead,  he  gave 
the  body  to  Joseph.  They  reverently  removed 
the  body  from  the  cross  and  wrapped  it  in  a 
clean  linen  cloth,  with  a  mixture  of  myrrh  and 
aloes,  which  Nicodemus,  the  member  of  the 
Sanherdrin  who  had  come  to  Jesus  by  night,  had 
brought  for  the  purpose. 

In  a  garden  near  by,  Joseph  had  made  a  tomb 
for  himself.  It  was  a  new  tomb,  hewed  out  of 
the  solid  rock  and  had  not  yet  been  used.  They 
carried  the  body  to  this  tomb  and  closed  the 
opening  with  a  great  stone  and  went  away.  The 
women  who  had  followed  Jesus  from  Galilee 
and  Mary  Magdalene  and  Mary  the  mother  of 
Joses  were  there  when  the  body  was  laid  away, 
and  they  saw  the  tomb.  As  it  was  in  the  even- 
ing, they  could  do  nothing  more  until  after  the 
sabbath  and  so  they  went  away  to  prepare  spices 
and  ointments  for  completing  his  burial  at  that 

time. 

—  843  — 


On  the  next  day  the  chief  priests  and  the 
Pharisees  came  in  a  body  to  Pilate  and  said: 
"We  recall  that  this  deceiver,  whom  you  have 
just  crucified,  said  while  he  was  alive,  that  after 
three  days  he  would  rise  again.  We  have  come 
to  ask  that  you  seal  the  tomb  until  after  that 
time,  so  that  his  disciples  can  not  come  and  steal 
the  body  and  then  say  to  the  people,  'He  is  risen 
from  the  dead.'  This  would  make  the  matter 
worse  than  it  already  is." 

Pilate  consented  to  this  and  ordered  a  guard 
to  be  kept  at  the  tomb.  He  also  gave  the  Jews 
permission  to  do  anything  else  they  wished  to 
make  the  tomb  secure.  So  they  went  with  the 
guard  and  in  their  presence  placed  seals  on  the 
tomb. 


Matthew  27 :  62-66. 


—  344  — 


CHAPTER  TEN 

Ascension  and  Beginnings  of  a  Co-operative 
Brotpierhood. 

/i^N  the  Jewish  sabbath  they  rested  in  accord- 
ance with  the  old  commandment,  but  very- 
early  on  the  first  day  of  the  week  a  party  of 
women,  including  Mary  Magdalene,  Mary  the 
mother  of  James  and  Joses,  and  Salome,  went 
to  the  tomb,  carrying  the  spices  and  ointments 
that  had  been  prepared  to  anoint  his  body  for  its 
final  burial. 

They  did  not  know  of  the  sealing  of  the  tomb 
and  the  placing  of  a  guard  and  as  they  drew 
near  they  said  to  one  another,  who  will  roll  away 
the  heavy  stone,  so  that  we  can  enter  the  tomb? 
But  as  they  came  near  to  it,  they  saw  that  the 
great  stone  was  already  removed. 


Matthew  28:  i-io;   Mark  16:  i-ii;   Luke  23:  56-24; 
12;  John  20:  1-18. 

—  345  — 


During  the  night  there  had  been  an  earthquake 
and  a  great  tempest.  In  the  midst  of  it  an  angel 
of  the  Lord  had  appeared  and  rolled  away  the 
stone  from  the  opening.  The  soldiers  who  were 
on  guard  saw  him  and  afterward  said  that  he 
was  clad  in  glistening  white  and  his  appearance 
was  as  lightning.  Because  of  the  storm  and  this 
appearance  they  became  as  dead  men,  and  after- 
ward, thoroughly  frightened  and  trembling,  they 
had  fled  away  to  the  city. 

The  women  entered  the  tomb  and  saw  that 

the  body  of  the  Lord  Jesus  was  not  there.   Mary 

Magdalene  hurriedly   left  the  place  to  tell  the 

disciples.     As  the  other  women  stood  in  great 

perplexity,  they  became  conscious  of  two  men 

in    dazzling    apparel,    standing   by    them.      The 

angels  said:    "Do  not  be  afraid.    We  know  that 

you   have  come   to   see   the  body   of   Jesus   of 

Nazareth,  who  was  crucified.     He  is  not  here. 

He  is  risen,  just  as  he  said.    Come  see  the  place 

where  the  Lord  lay." 

—  346  — 


In  fright  and  awe  the  women  fell  on  their 
faces  before  the  angels,  who  continued:  ''Why 
seek  ye  the  living  among  the  dead?  He  is  not 
here,  but  is  risen.  Remember  what  he  said  to 
you  while  he  was  still  in  Galilee.  'The  Son  of 
man  must  be  delivered  into  the  hands  of  wicked 
men  and  be  crucified,  but  on  the  third  day  he 
will  reappear.'  Go  quickly  now  and  tell  his  dis- 
ciples that  he  will  go  before  them  into  Galilee 
and  there  they  will  see  him,  just  as  he  said." 

The  women  left  the  tomb  quickly,  almost 
overcome  with  mingled  feelings  of  joy  and  fear. 
They  said  nothing  to  anyone  on  the  way,  but 
with  Johanna  and  the  other  women  they  went 
and  told  the  disciples. 

Mary  Magdalene,  who  had  gone  ahead,  first 

met  Peter  and  John.     She  said  to  them,  "They 

have  taken  away  the  Lord  out  of  the  tomb  and 

we  know  not  where  they  have  laid  him."    At  first 

their  words  seemed  as  idle  tales  and  the  disciples 

were  inclined  to  disbelieve  them,  but  Peter  and 

—  347  — 


John  started  for  the  tomb.  John  outran  Peter 
and  reached  there  first.  He  stooped  and  looked 
in  and  saw  the  linen  clothes  lying  there,  but  did 
not  at  first  go  in.  But  Peter  entered  at  once  and 
noticed  that  the  napkin  that  had  been  over  the 
face,  was  not  lying  with  the  other  cloths,  but 
was  folded  and  placed  by  itself.  Up  to  this  time 
they  had  not  comprehended  the  meaning  of  it 
all,  but  when  John  saw  these  things,  the  truth 
dawned  upon  him  and  he  believed.  Then  the 
two  disciples  returned  to  the  city. 


A  little  later  Mary  Magdalene  in  anguish  of 
'^  ^  heart,  returned  to  the  tomb  alone.  At 
first  she  stood  without,  quietly  weeping,  and  then 
stooping  she  looked  in.  She  saw  within  the 
appearance  of  two  angels  dressed  in  white,  one 
at  the  head  and  one  at  the  foot  where  the  body 
of  Jesus  had  lain.  The  angels  said  to  her, 
"Sister,  why  are  you  crying?"  She  said  to  them, 
"They  have  taken  away  my  Lord  and   I  know 

—  348  — 


not  where  they  have  laid  him."  Hearing  a  sound 
behind  her  she  turned  partially  around  and  saw 
a  man  standing  behind  her.  It  was  Jesus,  him- 
self, although  she  did  not  recognize  him. 

Jesus  said  to  her,  "Sister,  why  are  you  crying? 
Whom  are  you  seeking?"  Supposing  him  to  be 
the  gardner,  she  said,  *'Oh,  sir,  if  you  have  taken 
the  body  away,  tell  me  where  you  have  laid  him 
and  I  will  care  for  him."  Jesus  said,  "Mary," 
She  recognized  his  voice  and  quickly  turned 
around  and  fell  at  his  feet.  "Oh,  my  Master!" 
she  sobbed.  Jesus  said  to  her,  "Do  not  cling  to 
me  so,  but  go  quickly  to  my  brethren  and  tell 
them  to  go  at  once  to  Galilee  and  they  will  see 
me  there." 

Mary  Magdalene  then  hurried  away  and  said 
to  the  disciples,  "I  have  seen  the  Lord."  Then 
she  told  them  all  she  had  seen  and  all  that  had 
been  said  to  her. 

Meanwhile  the  guard  had  gone  into  the  city 
and  told  the  chief  priests  all  that  had  happened. 


Matthew  28:  11-15. 

—  349  — 


The  chief  priests  called  the  elders  together  and, 
after  discussing  the  matter,  they  gave  a  large 
sum  of  money  to  the  guard  and  told  them  to  say 
that  his  disciples  had  come  by  night  and  stolen 
him  away.  They  promised  that  if  the  matter 
ever  came  to  the  governor's  attention,  that  they 
would  explain  it  to  him  and  relieve  them  of  all 
blame.  So  the  soldiers  accepted  the  money  and 
did  as  they  were  told.  This  explains  the  report 
that  his  body  was  stolen,  which  spread  among 
the  Jews  and  is  still  repeated. 


^TWO  of  the  disciples  went  that  day  to  Em- 
maus,  a  village  about  seven  miles  from 
Jerusalem,  and  as  they  walked  along,  they  talked 
together  about  the  strange  things  that  had  hap- 
pened. They  were  so  absorbed  in  their  talk  that 
they  did  not  notice  at  first  that  another  had 
joined  them,  nor  did  they  recognize  who  he  was. 


Mark  i6:  12-13;  Luke  24:  13-35. 
—  350  — 


The  stranger  said  to  them,  "What  are  you 
discussing  so  earnestly  as  you  walk  along?" 
They  were  so  depressed  that  at  first  they  did  not 
know  what  to  say,  but  at  last  Cleopas,  who  was 
one  of  the  two,  said,  "You  must  be  a  stranger  in 
Jerusalem,  not  to  know  what  has  been  happen- 
ing there  of  late."  Jesus,  for  the  one  who  had 
joined  himself  to  the  two  disciples  was  none 
other  than  he,  said,  "Why,  what  has  happened?" 

They  replied :   "About  Jesus  of  Nazareth,  who 

did    such    remarkable    things    and    spoke    .such 

wonderful  words  that  the  people  believed  him  to 

be  a  prophet  sent  from  God,  but  the  chief  priests 

and  rulers  had  him  arrested  and  condemned  and 

then  crucified.     We  had  hoped  that  it  was  he 

that  was  to  redeem  Israel.     It  is  now  the  third 

day    since    this    happened    and    we    have    been 

amazed    at    certain    things    that    were    seen    by 

women  of  our  company.    They  went  early  to  the 

tomb,  but  found  that  the  body  had  disappeared. 

They    returned    with   the    report   that   they   had 

seen  a  vision  of  angels,  who  had  said  that  he  was 

—  351  — 


still  alive.  Two  of  our  own  number  went  to  the 
tomb  immediately  and  found  it  exactly  as  they 
reported,  but  they  could  find  no  trace  of  the 
body." 

Jesus  said  to  them,  "Oh  foolish,  foolish  men! 
So  slow  of  heart  to  believe,  after  all  that  the 
prophets  have  spoken!  Can  you  not  see  that  it 
was  necessary  for  the  Messiah  to  suffer  these 
things  if  he  was  to  enter  into  his  glory?"  And 
then  beginning  with  Moses,  he  explained  to  them 
the  meaning  of  all  the  references  in  the  scrip- 
tures that  the  prophets  had  made  concerning  the 
Messiah. 

As  they  drew  near  to  the  village  where  they 

were  going,   Jesus   began  to   say,   good-bye,   as 

though  he  were  going  beyond.     They  urged  him 

to  remain  with  them,  saying,  "Stay  with  us.    The 

day  is  far  spent;  it  is  almost  night."     So  Jesus 

went  in  with  them  and  sat  down  to  eat.    He  took 

the  bread  and  blessed  it  and  passed  it  to  them. 

In  doing  this,  their  eyes  were  opened  and  they 

—  352  — 


realized  that  he  was  Jesus ;  and  he  vanished  out 
of  their  sight. 

They  looked  at  one  another  and  said,  ''Now 
we  know  why  it  was  that  our  hearts  warmed 
within  us  while  he  talked  with  us  on  the  way, 
explaining  the  scriptures."  They  immediately 
rose  up  and  returned  to  Jerusalem  and  found 
the  other  disciples  gathered  together  with  other 
believers.  As  they  entered  the  room  the  disciples 
exclaimed,  "The  Lord  is  actually  risen.  He  has 
appeared  to  Peter." 

The  two  that  had  just  come  from  Emmaus 
then  told  the  company  their  own  experience  and 
how  they  had  recognized  him  when  he  blessed 
the  evening  meal. 


I  Corinthians  15:  5. 


—  353  — 


JjJVEN  while  they  were  speaking,  Jesus,  him- 
self, stood  in  their  midst  and  said,  'Teace 
be  with  you."  They  were  very  much  frightened 
and  at  first  supposed  that  they  had  seen  an 
apparition, — for  when  they  had  assembled  they 
had  done  so  secretely,  for  fear  of  the  Jews  and 
had  carefully  locked  the  door. 

Jesus  said  to  them :  ''Why  are  you  so  troubled 
and  unbelieving?  Why  do  you  continue  to  ques- 
tion in  your  hearts  ?  See  my  hands  and  my  feet, 
convince  yourselves  that  it  is  really  I,  myself. 
Handle  me  and  see.  An  apparition  does  not 
have  flesh  and  bones  as  you  see  that  I  have." 

While  they  still  hesitated  to  believe,  but  this 
time  from  sheer  joy  and  wonderment,  he  said, 
"Have  you  anything  to  eat?"  They  brought  him 
a  little  broiled  fish  and  he  ate  it  in  their  presence. 
The  disciples  were  very  glad  as  they  began  to 
realize  that  this  was,  indeed,  their  Lord. 


Mark  i6:  14;  Luke  24:  36-43;  John  20:  19-23. 
—  354  — 


Jesus  said  to  them,  "Peace  be  with  you  all." 
And  with  these  words  he  disappeared  from 
among   them. 

/TTHOMAS  was  not  with  the  other  disciples  at 
this  time  and  when  he  joined  them  a  little 
later,  they  told  him  that  they  had  seen  the  Lord. 
Thomas  said,  ''Unless  I  see  for  myself  the  marks 
of  the  nails  in  hands  and  put  my  hand  in  his  side, 
I  will  not  believe." 

Eight  days  after,  the  disciples  were  again  to- 
gether in  an  inner  room  with  the  doors  locked 
and  this  time  Thomas  was  with  them.  Suddenly 
Jesus  stood  in  their  midst  and  said:  ''Peace  be 
with  you."  Then  he  said  to  Thomas,  "Thomas, 
here  are  my  hands,  place  your  finger  on  the 
wounds,  put  your  hand  to  my  side.  There,  do 
not  be  doubtful  any  longer,  but  believe."  Thomas 
said,  "My  Lord,  and  my  God !" 

John  20 :  24-29. 

—  355  — 


Jesus  continued :  '1  want  you  and  all  my  dis- 
ciples to  believe  that  I  have  come  from  Sovereign 
Love  and  have  returned  to  be  v^^ith  him  in  the 
Spiritual  Realm  forever  more,  I  want  you  to 
be  my  witnesses;  but  before  you  can  convince 
others,  you  must  first  believe  yourselves.  While 
I  was  with  you,  I  told  you  many  times  that  I 
would  be  crucified  and  on  the  third  day  would 
reappear  and  would  ascend  to  my  Father.  You 
have  been  so  slow  to  believe  this  that  it  has  been 
necessary  to  appear  many  times  to  convince  you 
that  I  am  really  Living.  These  appearances  are 
of  importance  only  as  they  convince  you  of  this. 
You  have  believed  because  you  have  actually 
seen  me,  but  there  are  myriads  coming  after 
that  will  never  see  me  as  you  see  me.  Blessed 
are  they  that  never  see  me  and  yet  believe." 


—  356  — 


ijjLOON  after  this  the  disciples  returned  to  the 
familiar  places  about  the  sea  of  Galilee 
and  waited  the  promised  appearance  of  the  Lord. 
The  days  and  the  weeks  went  by  and  still  he  did 
not  appear.  Little  by  little  their  first  faith  began 
to  fade  and  doubts  became  more  insistent.  Fin- 
ally one  afternoon  there  were  seven  of  them 
together  and  Peter  said,  ''What  is  the  use  of 
waiting  any  longer?  I  am  going  back  to  my 
fishing."  They  had  always  looked  up  to  Peter 
as  a  leader  and  so  they  answered,  "Well,  Peter, 
if  you  go  back,  then  we  go  back,  too." 

All  that  night  they  labored  in  the  fishing  boat, 
but  caught  nothing.  Just  as  the  day  began  to 
break  over  the  hills  of  Galilee,  Jesus  appeared 
on  the  shore.  They  noticed  him  but  did  not 
recognize  him  to  be  Jesus,  as  they  were  a  hun- 
dred yards  from  the  shore.  When  they  came 
near,  Jesus  said  to  them,  *'Boys,  have  you  caught 
anything?"  They  replied  that  they  had  not. 
Then  Jesus  said,  "Cast  the  net  on  the  right  side 

John  21 :  1-17. 

—  357  — 


of  the  boat  and  you  will  succeed."  They  did  as 
they  were  told  and  this  time  they  were  not  able 
to  draw  the  net  because  of  the  multitude  of  fish 
that  it  contained. 

John  said  to  Peter,  "It  is  the  Lord."  When 
Peter  heard  this  he  jumped  into  the  water  in  his 
eagerness  to  reach  the  shore.  The  other  dis- 
ciples also  hurried  to  land  in  a  small  boat  drag- 
ging the  net  with  them.  When  they  reached 
the  shore  they  saw  Jesus  standing  by  a  small 
fire  upon  which  fish  were  cooking,  and  bread 
was  near  by. 

Jesus  said  to  them,  ''Bring  some  of  the  fish 
that  you  have  taken."  Peter  led  them,  in  drag- 
ging ashore  the  heavy  net  containing  a  hundred 
and  fifty  large  fish ;  and,  although  there  were  so 
many,  the  net  was  unbroken.  Jesus  said  to  them, 
"Come  and  eat,  you  must  be  hungry."  The 
disciples  knew  that  it  was  the  Lord,  but  they 
hardly  dared  to  speak.    Jesus  took  the  bread  and 

fish  and  gave  them  to  eat. 

—  358  — 


After  they  had  eaten,  Jesus  said,  'Teter,  do 
you  love  me  more  than  these  others  do?"  Peter 
replied,  '*Yes,  Lord,  you  know  that  I  care  for 
you."  Jesus  said:  ''The  children  of  men  are 
bewildered  between  the  desires  of  the  physical 
nature  and  the  spiritual  aspirations  of  the  soul. 
They  are  hungry  for  the  knowledge  of  a  higher 
reality  upon  which  they  may  feed.  Peter,  I 
want  you  to  feed  my  lambs." 

A  second  time  he  said  to  him,  "Peter,  do  you 
really  love  me?"  He  replied,  "My  Lord,  you 
know  that  I  care  for  you."  Jesus  said:  "Hu- 
manity is  led  into  all  manner  of  selfishness  and 
sin  and  suffering  by  the  natural  law  of  self- 
preservation.  They  need  to  know  that  the 
Spiritual  Law  of  Love  is  higher  than  this 
natural  law, — that  it  alone  can  lead  them  out  of 
their  distresses.  Peter,  be  a  shepherd  to  my 
sheep." 

He  said  to  him  still  a  third  time,  "Peter,  are 

you  sure  that  you  care  for  me?"     Peter  recalled 

—  359  — 


the  times  that  he  had  denied  his  Lord.  He  re- 
called that  he  was  the  one  that  had  suggested 
going  back  to  their  fishing  and  it  grieved  him 
deeply  to  think  that  it  was  necessary  for  the 
Lord  to  ask  him  the  third  time.  He  said,  humbly, 
"Lord,  you  know  all  things;  you  know  that  I 
truly  care  for  you." 

Jesus  said  to  him:  ''The  children  of  men  are 
like  sheep  without  a  shepherd.  They  have 
wandered  away  into  the  desert.  They  are 
hungering  for  sympathy  and  to  know  the  true 
Way  of  life.  Teach  them  to  believe  in  the  Love 
Thought,  to  trust  it  in  every  circumstance,  and 
to  obey  it  wherever  it  leads.  Peter,  feed  my 
dear  sheep." 

After  these  words,  Jesus  continued  to  talk 
with  them  for  some  time  in  regard  to  their  work 
and  the  future.  He  was  evidently  convinced  that 
they  were  now  ready  for  a  final  commission;  so 
he  made  an  appointment  to  meet  them  and  the 
whole  body  of  Galilean  believers,  and  then  dis- 
appeared as  suddenly  as  he  had  come. 

—  360  — 


A  T  the  appointed  time  the  eleven  disciples 
and  over  five  hundred  of  the  believers 
were  gathered  on  the  mountain  where  Jesus  had 
promised  to  meet  them.  When  Jesus  appeared 
in  their  midst,  with  one  common  impulse  they 
bowed  themselves  in  worship,  although  there 
were  ,some  that  still  doubted. 

Jesus  said  to  them,  "All  power  has  been  given 
to  me  in  the  Spiritual  Realm  and  on  earth.  Go, 
therefore  and  make  disciples  among  all  nations; 
baptize  them  in  the  power  of  Sovereign  Love, 
the  Father;  teach  them  to  believe  in  and  to  trust 
the  precepts  that  I,  the  Love  Thought,  have  given 
you ;  and  persuade  them  to  obey  the  impulses  of 
the  Divine  Love  Vitality  that  shall  come  upon 
them.  Remember,  I  am  to  be  with  you,  hour  by 
hour,  to  the  consummation  of  the  ages. 

"In  this  power  of  Love  you  will  have  authority 
over  evil  and  sickness,  you  will  be  able  to  speak 
in  foreign  tongues,  and  will  be  kept  from  bodily 
harm  until  your  work  is  done." 


Matthew  28:  16-20;   Mark   16:  15-18;   I   Corinthians 

15:  6-7. 

—  361  — 


After  the  company  had  returned  to  their 
homes,  Jesus  appeared  to  his  own  brother  James. 
We  know  none  of  the  details  of  this  event,  but 
we  know  that  from  this  time  on  James  became 
one  of  the  disciples  and  in  the  years  that  followed 
became  the  leader  of  the  brotherhood  of  be- 
lievers in  Jerusalem. 


'TIESUS  had  given  instructions  for  the  eleven 
to  meet  him  in  Jerusalem  for  a  final  inter- 
view, and  when  they  were  together  in  the  city 
Jesus  appeared  and  talked  with  them  about  the 
things  that  related  to  the  Spiritual  Realm.  He 
said,  "While  I  was  still  with  you,  I  explained 
how  necessary  it  was  that  all  that  was  written 
about  me  in  the  Law  and  the  Prophets  should 
be  fulfilled." 

Then  he  explained  the  scriptures  more  fully 
to  them,  and  in  conclusion  said:  *'It  is  written 
that  the  Messiah  should  suffer  and  reappear  from 


Luke  24:  44-53;  Acts  1:1-9;  Freer  MSS-  Mark  16. 
—  362  — 


the  dead  on  the  third  day  and  also  that  repent- 
ance and  the  remission  of  sins  should  be  preached 
in  his  name  to  all  the  nations  beginning  at 
Jerusalem.  You  are  now  to  be  my  witnesses  of 
all  these  things.  You  will  recall  the  promise  that 
the  Father  made  to  you  by  John  the  Baptist, 
that  while  he  baptized  in  water,  you  were  to  be 
baptized  in  the  Divine  Love  Vitality.  Listen, 
you  must  not  leave  Jerusalem  until  you  receive 
this  baptism." 

One  of  the  eleven  asked  him,  "Lord,  do  you 
intend  at  that  time  to  restore  the  Kingdom  to 
Israel?"  Jesus  perceiving  how  difficult  it  was 
for  them  to  grasp  the  spiritual  significance  of  his 
mission,  replied  sadly,  "It  is  not  for  you  to  know 
the  times  and  the  seasons,  which  the  Father 
retains  in  his  own  control;  but  you  will  receive 
power  for  your  own  work  when  the  Divine  Love 
Vitality  is  come  upon  you.  Your  mission  is  to 
witness  for  me,  both  in  Jerusalem  and  in  all 
Judea  and  Samaria  and  to  the  uttermost  parts 

of  the  earth." 

—  363  — 


Some  of  his  disciples  were  still  doubtful  and 
could  not  rid  their  minds  of  the  old  racial  hope 
for  a  restored  nation  under  Messianic  rule.  They 
said  to  themselves,  "This  age  of  lawlessness  and 
unbelief  is  still  under  the  sway  of  Satan  and  he 
will  not  permit  us  to  interfere  with  those  under 
his  control  by  teaching  them  the  truth  and  the 
power  of  God."  Therefore  they  said  to  Jesus, 
"Why  not  reveal  your  righteous  authority  even 


now." 


Jesus  said,  "The  time  limit  of  the  power  of 
evil  has  expired,  but  there  are  still  other  things 
that  are  to  be  taken  into  consideration.  I  was 
delivered  to  death  on  behalf  of  sinners  that  they 
might  return  to  truth  and  sin  no  more  and  that 
they  might  inherit  that  glory  of  goodness  which, 
in  the  Spiritual  Realm,  is  imperishable.  This  is 
to  be  accomplished  not  by  might  or  by  power, 
but  by  my  spirit  of  Love." 

With  this  he  led  them  out  of  the  city  to  the 

crest    of    the    Mount    of    Olives,    over    against 

Bethany,    and    there    he    lifted    his    hands    and 
—  364  — 


blessed  them.  As  the  words  of  benediction  fell 
from  his  lips,  he  was  parted  from  them  and  dis- 
appeared in  the  Spiritual  Realm,  whose  reality 
it  had  been  his  mission  to  make  clear. 


/TTHEN  the  eleven  returned  to  Jerusalem  to  the 
upper  room  where  they  were  staying.  In 
the  days  that  followed  with  one  accord  they  con- 
tinued steadily  in  prayer.  They  were  joined  by 
the  women  that  had  followed  Jesus  and  by  Mary, 
his  mother,  and  his  brothers.  At  these  prayer 
meetings  the  number  of  those  that  attended  in- 
creased until,  at  one  time,  .there  were  a  hundred 
and  twenty  present. 

On  the  day  of  Pentecost,  they  were  gathered 
together  as  usual,  when  suddenly  there  came 
from  the  sky  the  sound  of  a  rushing  as  of  a 
mighty  wind  and  it  filled  all  the  house  where 
they  were  assembled.  There  appeared  tongues 
as  of  fire  that  separated  themselves  and  rested 


Acts  1 :  12-14.     Acts  2. 

—  365  — 


on  the  heads  of  each  one.  They  were  instantly 
filled  with  the  Divine  Love  Vitality  and  began  to 
speak  in  other  languages  as  they  were  inspired. 

At  this  time  there  were  dwelling  in  Jerusalem 
devout  Jews  from  every  nation.  When  the 
sound  of  the  mighty  wind  was  heard,  they  came 
in  multitudes  to  where  the  disciples  were  gath- 
ered. Great  was  their  amazement  for  every  man 
to  hear  them  speaking  in  his  own  language.  They 
said,  ''Why,  these  men  are  all  Galileans.  How 
is  it  that  we  hear  them  speaking  our  own  native 
tongues  ?" 

There  were  present  both  Jews  and  proselytes, 
from  Mesopotamia  and  the  far  East,  from  all 
Asia  Minor  and  Arabia,  Egypt  and  Greece  and 
Rome,  and  they  all  heard  the  mighty  works  of 
God  proclaimed  in  their  own  tongues.  They 
exclaimed,  "What  does  it  all  mean?" 


—  366  — 


^iTHEN  Peter  stood  up  and  addressed  the  great 
multitude.  He  said:  "Men  of  Judea  and 
all  of  you  that  are  dwelling  in  Jerusalem,  listen 
to  my  words.  This  is  the  fulfillment  of  the 
prophecy  by  Joel,  that  said: 

7m  the  last  days,  it  sJmll  come  to  pass,  saith  the 

Lord, 
That  I  zvill  pour  forth  my  spirit  upon  all  men; 
Your  sons  and  your  daughters  shall  prophecy; 
Your  young  men  shall  see  visions, 
And  your  old  men  shall  dream  dreams. 
Yes,  in  those  days,  even  on  servants  and  bond 

servants 
Will  I  pour  my  spirit  and  they  shall  prophecy. 
And  it  shall  he,  that  whosoever  shall  call  on  the 

name  of  the  Lord,  shall  he  saved/ 

"Men  of  Israel,  listen  to  these  words.    Jesus, 

the  Nazarene,  was  a  man  accredited  to  you  by 

God.     The  prophets  fortold  his  coming;  angelic 

voices  welcomed  him ;  and  God,  through  him,  did 

many  miracles  and  marvels  and  signs  in  your 
—  367  — 


midst,  as  you  all  know.  With  God's  foreknow- 
ledge and  his  full  consent,  he  was  delivered  into 
the  hands  of  wicked  men,  and  they,  with  your 
consent,  gave  him  to  the  heathen  Romans  to 
crucify  and  to  put  to  death. 

"But  God  has  delivered  him  from  the  bonds 
of  death,  for  it  was  impossible  that  death  should 
have  dominion  over  him.  God  has  raised  this 
Jesus  to  a  higher  Life,  of  which  fact  we  are  all 
witnesses.  In  this  higher  Life  of  the  Spiritual 
Realm,  Jesus  is  now  exalted  and  sits  at  the  right 
hand  of  God.  According  to  his  promise,  he  has 
received  from  the  Father  and  has  poured  forth 
upon  us  the  Divine  Love  Vitality,  whose  effects 
you  have  both  heard  and  seen. 

'Xet  all  the  House  of  Israel  know  this  for  cer- 
tain, that  God  has  made  this  Jesus,  whom  you 
crucified,  both  Lord  and  Messiah." 

When  the  great  crowd  heard  these  words  they 

were  touched  to  the  heart.     They  said  to  Peter 

and  the  rest  of  the  disciples,  "Brothers,  what 

shall  we  do?"    Peter  said  to  them:    "Every  one 
—  368  — 


must  repent  and  be  baptized  in  the  name  of 
Jesus  the  Messiah.  Then  you  will  receive,  as 
we  have  received,  the  gift  of  the  Divine  Love 
Vitahty.  For  the  promise  is  to  you  and  to  your 
children,  and  to  those  that  are  afar  off,  even  to 
as  many  as  the  Lord  our  God  shall  call." 


JlfHOSE  that  received  his  word  and  were  bap- 
tized were  over  three  thousand  souls. 
These  joined  with  the  other  disciples  in  a  kindly 
fellowship.  Day  by  day  and  with  one  accord 
they  would  meet  for  fellowship  and  to  break 
bread  together;  they  would  listen  to  the  eleven 
as  they  repeated  the  teachings  of  the  Lord  Jesus 
and  then  would  join  together  in  prayer.  They 
had  their  property  more  or  less  in  common  and, 
as  they  saw  that  their  brother  had  need,  they 
sold  their  possessions  and  shared  with  him.  They 
lived  their  days  in  gladness  and  singleness  of 
heart,  praising  God  and  finding  favor  with  all 

that  knew  them. 

—  369  — 


Thus  had  begun  to  be  realized  on  earth,  al- 
though imperfectly  and  only  in  a  limited  way, 
a  co-operative  brotherhood  of  those  who  be- 
lieved in  Jesus'  teaching  concerning  the  reality 
of  the  Spiritual  Realm  and  the  supremacy  of  its 
Law  of  Love.  The  co-operative  brotherhood 
was  not  the  Spiritual  Realm  itself,  for  whose 
coming  they  daily  prayed,  but  was  the  natural 
result  of  their  effort  to  live  according  to  the 
Spiritual  Law  of  Love.  Their  goal  was  not  to 
be  realized  in  an  ideal  state  of  human  society, 
but  was  to  so  live  that  they  might  transcend  the 
natural  life  and  advance  into  the  Spiritual  Life. 
The  Law  of  Love  as  it  controlled  their  lives 
prompted  them  to  make  life  happier  and  richer 
for  all  men:  by  proclaiming  the  Good  News  of 
a  higher  Spiritual  Life  that  was  possible  to  any 
one  who  would  cherish  the  Love  Thought  and 
who  would  live  in  trustful  obedience  to  the  Law 
of  Love;  and  by  working  for  the  betterment  of 
all     human     relations,     social,     political,     and 

economic,  not  so  much  as  an  end  in  itself,  as  to 
—  370  — 


provide  that  congenial  environment  that  was 
necessary  if  men  were  to  live  a  happier  and 
richer  life  according  to  the  Law  of  Love,  and  to 
make  conditions  as  favorable  as  possible  for  the 
quest  of  the  higher  Spiritual  Life. 

They  must  still  live  in  the  midst  of  Jewish 
customs,  in  a  Roman  state,  under  natural  law, 
but  this  home  of  a  co-operative  brotherhood  of 
believers  in  the  Love  Thought  would  be  the 
privileged  residence  of  the  ambassadors  of  a 
mightier  Realm,  with  which  they  could  always 
be  in  communication  and  whose  protection  they 
could  claim  at  any  time  and  never  find  it  to  fail. 
Wherever  men  come  to  have  faith  in  Jesus  as 
the  Love  Thought  and  in  his  Way  of  Life,  the 
Spiritual  Realm  for  whose  coming  they  pray 
will  draw  near,  not  to  be  seen  of  men  for  it  is 
not  of  this  world,  but  to  be  unmistakably  recog- 
nized in  each  believing  heart. 


—  371  — 


i\   ND  the  Lord  added  daily  to  their  numbers 

those  who  in  faith  were  cherishing  the 

Love  Thought  and  who  by  the  power  of  Love 

Vitality  were   following  Jesus  by  his  Way  of 

loving  kindness  into  the  Spiritual  Realm. 


372  — 


REFERENCE  INDEX. 


REFERENCE  INDEX. 


THE  GOSPEIv  BY  MATTHEW. 


PAGE 
..  22 
.  .  27 
••  32 

.  .  35 

•  •  43 

..  60 

..  62 


i:  18-25  

2 :  1-23  

3'     1-12  

13-17  

4:  i-ii  

12-17  

18-22  

23-25  81 

5:  83 

6:  83 

7 :  83 

8 :  2-4  65 

5-13  loi 

14-17  63 

19-22  178 

23-27  119 

28-34  120 

9 :  2-8  67 

9-17  69 

18-26  122 

27-32  125 

36-42  126 

10:  126 

11:    I  126 


2-27 

28-30 

12:  1-8 

9-14 

15-21 


104 

133 

78 

79 

81 


■22-32  196 

33-37  99 

—  375 


PAGE 
38-42  198 

43-45  200 

46-50  112 

13:  1-53  112 

54-58  125 

14:  1-12  131 

13-23  132 

24-36  135 

15:  1-20  143 

21-28  147 

29-31  148 

3^-3^   149 

39 150 

16:  1-12  150 

13-20  153 

21-28  154 

17:  1-13  156 

14-20  158 

22-23  160 

24-27  160 

18 :  161 

19:  3-12  234 

13-15  236 

16-30  237 

20:  1-16  239 

17-19  241 

20-28  242 

29-34  243 

21:  i-ii  254 

12-17  258 

18-22  259 


PAGE 

23-27    260 

28-46    261 

22:      I-I4    261 

15-40    265 

41-46    269 

23:      1-36    270 

37-39  274 

24:     1-44   280 

45-51    202 

25:     1-13   287 

14-30  249 

31-46   289 

26:     1-5   291 

6-13   251 

14-16   291 

17-29  292 

31-35   306 

36-46  317 

47-56  319 


PAGE 
57-58    322 

59-68  324 

69-75   322 

27:  2 327 

3-10  326 

11-14  327 

15-31   330 

32  335 

33-38  336 

39-43   338 

44  338 

45-54   340 

55-56   339 

57-61    342 

62-66   344 

28:     i-io  345 

11-15   349 

16-20  361 


THE  GOSPEL  BY  MARK. 


PAGE 

1-8  32 

9-11  35 

12-13  43 

14-15  60 

16-20  62 

21-34  63 

35-45  65 

1-12  67 

13-22  6q 

23-28  78 

1-6  79 

7-12  81 

13-19  82 

20-21  Ill 

22-30  196 

31-35  112 

1-34  112 

35-41  119 

—  376 


PAGE 

1-20    120 

21-43    122 

1-6  125 

7-13  126 

14-29  131 

30-46  132 

47-56  135 

1-23  143 

24-30  147 

31-37   148 

1-9   149 

10-21    150 

22-26  152 

27-30  153 

31-38  154 

I   154 

2-13   156 

14-29  158 


PAGE  PAGE 

30-32  160  lo-ii  291 

33-50  161  12-25  292 

10:   2-12  234  27-31  306 

13-16  236  32-42  317 

17-31  '2Z7  43-52  319 

32-34  241  53-54  322 

35-45  242  55-65  324 

46-52  243  66-72  322 

11:  i-ii  254     15:  1-5  327 

12-14  259  6-20  330 

15-19  258  21  335 

20-25  259  22-27  336 

2r7-Z2,  260  29-312  338 

12:  1-12  261  33-39  340 

13-34  265  40-41  339 

35-37  269  42-47  342 

38-40  270     16:  i-ii  34S 

41-44  275  12-13   350 

13  :     1-37  280  14 354 

14:     1-2  291  15-18   361 

3-9  251  16  :  Freer  MSS 362 


THE  GOSPEL  BY  LUKE. 

PAGE  PAGE 

1 :     5-80   13  20-49   83 

2;     1-39   23  7:     i-io   lOI 

40-52   30  11-17  103 

3 :     1-20   32  18-35   104 

21-23  35  35-50  109 

4:  1-14  43  8:  1-3  Ill 

16-30  47  4-18  112 

31-41  63  19-21  112 

42-44  65  22-25  119 

5:  I-II  62  26-39  120 

12-16  65  40-56  122 

17-26  67  9 ;  1-6  126 

27-39  69  7-9  131 

6:  1-5  78  10-17  132 

6-11  79  18-21  153 

12-19  81  22-27  154 

—  377  — 


PAGB  PAG^ 

28-36  156  18:  1-8  231 

37-43  158  9-14  23kj 

43-45  160  15-17  236 

46-50  161  18-30  237 

51-62  178  31-34  241 

10:  i-ii  178  35-43  243 

12-15  104  19:  i-io  245 

16-20  184  11-28  246 

21-24  104  29-44  254 

25-37  184  45-48  258 

38-42  186  20:  1-8  260 

II :  1-4  92  9-19  261 

5-  8  97  20-40  265 

9-13  83  41-44  269 

14-23  196  45-47  270 

24-26  200  21:  1-4  275 

27-32  198  5-36  280 

33  85  Z7 292 

34-36  93  22:  1-6  291 

37-41  200  7-30  292 

42-54  270  31-38  306 

12:  1-12  126  39-46  317 

13-21  201  47-53  319 

22-31  83  54-62  ^"22 

32-48  202  63-71  324 

49-53  280  23:     1-3  327 

54-59   204  4_i2  329 

13:     1-19  ^  13-25  330 

i^^7   206  ^ 

18-21    no  ^_  ,  .                         -,-^ 

2^  30     200  ^ 

31-33    209  a:>  0/                           ;>^ 

54-35 7a  39-43 338 


14:  1-24  210 


44-47  340 


25^35  182        48-49  339 


IS".      213 


50-56  342 


16:  217  24:  1-12  345 

17:  i-io  228  13-35  350 

11-19  230  36-43  :^54 

20-37  231  44-53  362 


—  378  — 


THE  GOSPEL  BY  JOHN. 

PAGE  PAGS 

i:  1-18  II        47-54  227 

19-28  35        55-57  251 

29-34  2)^  12:  i-ii  251 

35-51  37        12-19  254 

2:  1-12  39        20-36  275 

13  49        37-43  279 

13-22  258        44-50  275 

23-25  49     13:  1-30  292 

Z-     1-21  49        31-33  306 

22-30  54        34-35  292 

31-36  49        Z^-Z^   306 

4:  1-42  55     14:      308 

43-45  60     15:  ■    298 

46-54  61     16 :      298 

5:      70     17:      313 

6:  1-15  132     18:    I  317 

16-21  135        2-11  319 

22-71  137        12-24  321 

7:  1-21  165        25-27  322 

21-24  77  28-38  2i'27 

25-52  167        39-40  330 

53  170     19:  1-16  320 

8:  i-ii  170        16-24  336 

12-30  172        25-27  339 

31-59  174        28-30  340 

9:      187        31-37  341 

10:  1-18  193        38-42  342 

19-21  187     20:  1-18  345 

22-29  192        19-23  354 

30-42  195        24-29  355 

11:  1-46  222     21:  1-17  357 

ACTS  O'F  THE  APOSTLES. 

PAGE  PAGE 

i:     1-9   362  2:  365 

12-14   365  20:        35  96 

FIRST  CORINTHIANS. 

PAGE  PAGE 

15:  5  353  15:     (>-  7  361 

—  379  — 


Date  Due 

JUlr  1  I 

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BS2557 .G57 

The  good  news  of  a  spiritual  realm, 

Princeton  Theological  Seminary-Speer  Library 


1   1012  00028  8664 


mmi 


